de Paul Warren

I played a game a long, long time ago. The name has since been lost to me but I remember one of the phrases used within the game. “Make Haste but take heed.” They sounded like funny Old English words to me at the time but for some reason they always stuck to me. The irony of it all is that while I often ponder those words, I’ve never managed to abide by them.

I’ve often jumped in without checking what I was jumping into. I thought I had it all covered. I do the once over on the situation, sometimes I also go over and over, but I miss one crucial point. I can only see from my own eyes. I’ve done that at work, I’ve done that with friends. One time in Carleton Place… (Ah hahaha…. um, It’s not funny…joke’s over.) Anyway.

When I was younger, I would often misinterpret something as meaningless as friends talking to each other and leaving me out of it at hockey to be something much larger than it was. I would begin to scheme of ways to respond when we would next meet and when they shun me, only to find out they wouldn’t. The haziness of it all is partially due to it was so long ago, and partially because I felt like such a tool afterwards.

I’ve told people things <s>that I intended</s> in which the intention was to be clever, wise, or they needed to know<s>.</s>, only to regret it afterwards. Like saying, “I’m glad your leaving,” to someone when I should have said something along the lines of, “you’ve answered God’s call.” The original intention was the latter, but my brain could only come up with the former. Obviously, I had to explain it later.

Writing a letter, or calling, or that one step farther: meeting them in person; requires much more commitment to see your “message” through to the end than a simple email or post on some site. I can just imagine what would have happened if I had the internet when I was young. It’s a good thing it wasn’t. I just have to train myself that when I think I’m wise, I’m not.

It still hasn’t changed; I do it less often, thankfully.

I bet that even this was rushed a little too much. Oh well, the title then suits it then.

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