Aura of Power
December 5, 2001
7:04 a.m.
I didn't really mean to be away for so long, but that's the way it goes sometimes. All I can say is that I spent the weekend I Nashville working until nearly midnight Friday and Saturday. And that my computer had a problem. And that ... uh my dog ate my keyboard. Yeah, that's the ticket. My dog. Yeah, I know. I don't have a dog. But let's never allow truth to get in the way of a good story.   Tekno books sent me my contributor's copy of Silicon Dreams with my short story "K-232." So that's out and ready to be read. Have at it. Progress on the book has been slow, but noticeable. Due to the aforementioned PC problems, I couldn't really create words this weekend at all, but I did manage a little brainstorming and story creation for some of the newer parts. It should pick up here real soon now, though. My company has kindly provided me an extra four days of vacation in return for temporarily reducing my take-home pay -- one of those nice, across-the-board deals that leaves everyone employed but maybe a bit ... uh ... peeved? Plus we shut down over Christmas. So come about December 13th, I'm home for the year. At yesterday's dinner table, I heard that Brigid's French class has been playing a version of Simon says in French (naturally). Apparently, Brigid wins the game pretty much every time, including a pair of wins yesterday. "Now," she said, "I've got this aura of power around me. Everyone's always saying 'Don't let Brigid play because she never loses.' And I can't afford to lose or I would get really embarrassed." "Oh," Lisa replied. "It's like me and Boggle." "Yeah." Let me tell you, Lisa is totally killer at Boggle. I mean, I have never, and I mean never seen her lose. Though I can beat her often at Scrabble, I have never, never, never, never, never beaten her at Boggle. "If I ever beat you at Boggle, I'll never play again," I said. "If you ever beat me at boggle I'll never play again," Lisa replied. "I beat you once," Brigid replied smugly. "It was right before I went to summer camp last year." (Note, the fact that she remembers the exact time tells you something, eh?) "Yes, but that was on the computer, with our timers set to give you the advantage, and with me covering up the letters." "So?" Lisa looked up at me with a look on her face that said You explain it. I just sat there. I may well be stupid, but even I have my limits. Pretty soon, Brigid was talking about the French game, and smiling, and Lisa was talking with her, and smiling. Both of them were very confident at that point. It was an attractive aura, you know? That aura of power, as Brigid put it--not bragging, but speaking matter-of-factly about something they were good at. Confidence born of experience. It's a great feeling. It's fun to be around. It's nice to feel it myself, and to see Lisa when she's feeling it. But it's an even greater to see it in your daughter as she begins to make her way through what may well be the most stressful five to ten years of her life. Have a great day.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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