| The advice column with problems of its own. |
Brought to you by
puppetry for corporate media
| The advice column with problems of its own. |
Brought to you by
puppetry for corporate media
| Punchy Advice is on hiatus. Please enjoy our previous answers. |
What am I here for?
Ruth answers:
Oh, don't worry. That happens to me, too. I walk into the kitchen, I go the the refrigerator, and I say to myself, "What did I come in here for?" Sometimes if I go back to the den, I remember what I went to the kitchen for. So that's my advice. Go back to where you were before you came here, and maybe you'll remember. You're welcome.
Why am I so shy?
Kelsey answers:
There was a time when I was painfully shy. In high school, all the other girls were cheerleaders with blonde hair, and I was a bookish beanpole with straight black hair. Somewhere along the line I realized they were all complete dufusses, and I had nothing to be shy about. So basically, being shy is just this ego trip where you think you're special and no one will understand you. So get off your trip, you're not so special! Stop feeling so dang sorry for yourself, you pathetic wimp, and stand up for yourself!
On a recent trip to Greenwich Village, I was walking with my brother when he asked me, "Hey, did you see her?!" "Who?" I asked. "Dr. Ruth! She just walked right past us!" That's the second time something like that has happened. This past summer, I completely missed seeing a man carrying a full-size stuffed lion over his shoulder, whereas my brother saw it. (I know he's not pulling my leg.) How can I be more observant?
Kelsey answers:
I have felt the same way. In college, my roomate Clarissa and I would walk to class together. One morning she found a $20 bill, a love letter, a make-up kit and a map of Singapore and I didn't notice any of them. I told her she was just lower to the ground, but I knew she was more observant.I've noticed this: when I'm talking and telling a story, in my mind I'm visualizing the events I'm talking about more than I'm seeing where I really am. I don't know how to cure it, but I guess it would help to be less intense about my memories and more intense about where I am at the moment.
Punjabi adds:
My friends, being more observant to the here and now is a major key towards relaxing the mind. This is a fundamental principle of meditation. If you wish to be "less intense," then simply focus, in a relaxed manner, on the sights and sounds around you. I am forming a new class later this month if you are interested.
Kauli goes:
Look! Did you see that? A man just went by carrying Dr. Ruth over his shoulder!
Bob says:
Really? Where?
