When
Do You Say, “Uncle”?
BJ
Neblett
©
2014
It is not in the nature of humans to
give up; to say, “Uncle.” Society as a whole praises the hero, the successful;
the stalwart individual who triumphed in the face of overwhelming adversity. We
tend to look upon those who give up, whatever the reasons, as losers.
I have been working on a song for a future gig. You can listen to this intriguing tune from
The Script and watch the video by clicking here. The lyrics, clever, poetic
and insightful, speak to me. They beg the question: When to say when. Where exactly
lays that fine line between hopeless romantic and helpless fool; between
determined lover and restraining order?
Unattributed
As children, we are taught to never
give up, to persevere. Bumper stickers remind us Winners Never Quit and
Quitters Never Win. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson led his team to
Super Bowl victory with the simple line, “Why not us?” Literature is ripe with
happy endings because of the hero’s tenancy. The Bible admonishes us to pray
ceaselessly (Matthew 7:7-8), and that the Lord will reward those who are
patient and persistent (Luke 11:8-10). Even the happiest place on earth was
founded on the lyrics of a song sung by Jimmy Cricket: “Fairytales can come true/If you believe that they do…”
Belief and faith: two sides of the
same coin. Flipping it only results in the same cliché: Hang In There Baby! Okay,
but for how long? I have yet to find a crystal ball, Ouija board, Magic 8 Ball, fortune cookie, sage, soothsayer, fortuneteller, oracle, or wise old uncle that
puts term limits on advice. And even if one was to surrender, to give up and
forsake their noble quest, won’t they always be plagued with the unanswerable
question: What if?
I suppose in some circumstances the
inevitable is obvious. Most all battles have winners and losers; board games
end with a clear victor; the race goes to he who finishes first, the rest are
usually forgotten. But what about when it comes to matters of the heart? There
is always another battle to win, another game to play; another race to run. And
who says the participants can’t be the same?
If you are looking for some sort of
clever ending here, some saying to take with you that yields solace on lonely
nights, sorry. I’m as clueless as anyone. Perhaps if I had the answers I wouldn’t
be writing this; or feeling these feelings of doubt and confusion. Robert Frost
spoke so eloquently of The Road Not Taken. He made an excellent point.
Unfortunately, he never told us what to do if the road chosen turns out to be a
dead end.
There is another piece of bumper
sticker wisdom that reads: There Is A Difference Between Giving Up and Knowing
When You Have Had Enough. Perhaps I haven’t attained that higher plain yet;
perhaps I never will. Prayer and personal poems; thoughts of laying an endless path of
tulips along the road, to her feet, are more my speed. So for now I choose to believe
in The Little Engine Who Could. I remain the hopeless romantic and foolishly
hopeful… it’s who I am.
Click to listen!
BJ
Neblett
Seattle,
WA
May, 2014
Awesome article, great points and oh, so true, so true! Been there, done that. But you are missing one final piece of the puzzle. When does the object of your affections surrender to you? At what point does she say, "Uncle"?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply and kind words, Robin. You bring up a good point, which, as most good points do, seems to beg even more questions. And so it goes. Maybe that's why the expression, Game of love. Perhaps some readers can add some insight and answer your question... when does she say, "Uncle"?
DeleteLooking forward to some of the other replies and comments. I am female and have never been in the position of being pursued. The thought is exciting and romantic. But I think you would have had me with the tulips. By the way, love your poetry!
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