I am 99.9% certain that I can credit Mary Hull with the assessment that a person can learn something from just about anything. For instance, she said that if she were reading a book that was terrible, she would just put it down. Not finish it. Stop. Her time was more valuable than that. When she said that my mind short circuited for at least fifteen seconds. I was suddenly thinking about books that I had struggled through, not for school, but on my own personal time because I had this need to get to the end just because. The end turned out to be just as disappointing as the beginning and the middle, so why did I do it? Because I am ever the optimist and couldn't help but hope that the author would have some sort of revelation. The publisher did spend money to publish it, after all.
This revolutionary statement was made after gym class and I dream walked to my next class with my brain now somersaulting from books to other "leisure" activities that I have endured from beginning to end all in the name of fun when I could have just said "No," and walked away. For years we had one TV in our house. Did I always get to watch I wanted? No. Did I watch it anyway? Yes. I felt another short circuit coming on. Ouch. Suddenly the image of all those horrible junior high school dances in the gym floated into my brain. Horrible, terrible times. Did anyone make me go? No. Did I go? Yes. In fact, I believe I paid good money for that torture. Another blast of electricity. Oh, the pain.
And then came the joy. Never again will I read a poorly written book unless I have to for class, or sit through miserable television programming, or watch a movie that is complete crap. Later in life, I would include on that list, listen to telemarketers on the phone or listen to beligerent husbands and/or ex-husbands on the phone. Did you know it is actually okay to hang up on people who are rude?
So, thank you Mary Hull. You are the only person who ever taught me anything worth learning in gym class.
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Dazzle Me!