Occasionally, I discover I have been backwards about something. I must sound so certain and assured that anyone around that knows the truth simply won’t deliver the news that I am misguided.
For about 10 days now, I have been making the statement…..”I am staying right brain on this.” I made this as an attestation that I wanted to remain logical and analytical about all things in my world. The irony is that I had it backwards. Back in the decade I was born, a psychobiologist named Roger Sperry formulated what we now accept as the concept of a left-sided vs a right-sided brain. It is the LEFT side that is analytical and rational. It is the left side that makes lists, uses sequential thinking and makes deductive decisions. In my world of magical thinkers, I had to insist on a world of rationality. I wanted to stay LEFT brain. It is the RIGHT brain that processes by intuition and feelings. The right brain is the host to creativity and spontaneity. The right brain is what gets me into trouble. It is a quagmire. But shutting down the right side walls off my creativity. I don’t get as upset, but I am a paler version of myself. I feel 2-dimensional. If I reside in my right brain, I cannot focus. I am overwhelmed. The enormity of what lies before me is stifling. Mind you, the impulse to run is very, very strong. But….I am shackled to this locale. And that world depends on my LEFT brain.
Why do only the extremely wealthy, pop culture caricatures have the luxury of madness? Britney Spears can shave her head and go bonkers. Amy Winehouse can walk around jaundiced with a needle in her arm. There are celebrities galore who simply go berzerks. They behave badly and get 3 months at some rehab spa extraordinaire. When does the average Joe or Jane get their moment of crazy? The rules are rigid and unforgiving. And honestly, what average person has the flexibility to decompensate? It is an American trait, although misguided, that we must push. Push through the stress. Ignore the rattle. Disregard the knock and ping. When stuff starts falling off….MAYBE seek a professional opinion. Otherwise, stop complaining. Suck it up and step to the LEFT.