In the wink of an eye
You know, you work with people, sometimes for years, consider them boon colleagues, people you would break bread with in the company lunch room and never suspect that they are capable of turning on you like a spitting viper.
I was having lunch with a coworker yesterday when I mentioned (and I don't remember quite how the subject came up) I mentioned that I am not able to wink. That is to say, I cannot will one eye closed while leaving the other open. (And no, it doesn't help to tell me to "just try.'') I can blink just fine. Blinking is no problem -- I can blink to beat the band -- it's just the winking thing.
And, through the years, I've lived quietly with the shame, and only tell people I trust.
Well, you would have thought I was a hunchback in the presence of uncilivlized boors.
I believe the word "freak'' was bandied about.
My own opinion is that the part of the brain normally devoted to winking has been filled with compassion for those who can't perform a simple task.
Are there other nonwinkers out there? Maybe we could form a support group.
I was having lunch with a coworker yesterday when I mentioned (and I don't remember quite how the subject came up) I mentioned that I am not able to wink. That is to say, I cannot will one eye closed while leaving the other open. (And no, it doesn't help to tell me to "just try.'') I can blink just fine. Blinking is no problem -- I can blink to beat the band -- it's just the winking thing.
And, through the years, I've lived quietly with the shame, and only tell people I trust.
Well, you would have thought I was a hunchback in the presence of uncilivlized boors.
I believe the word "freak'' was bandied about.
My own opinion is that the part of the brain normally devoted to winking has been filled with compassion for those who can't perform a simple task.
Are there other nonwinkers out there? Maybe we could form a support group.
posted by Michael Riley at 11:04 AM
6 Comments:
In answer to this strand, I have never heard of anyone not being able to wink. I have heard of those who can or cannot curl their tongue, but just like winking, it's not life shattering.
A quick note about your article on Friday (A real son's tribute to real moms)...I felt a jab towards Catholics in your second to last paragraph , "It's hard to love a paragon or a paradigm, or a statue." Perhaps I am being overly sensitive Mr. Riley. I happen to love the mother of Our Lord, and yes, she is represented in statue form. It is a known fact that some Baptists believe that Catholics worship statues, a huge fallacy. Just as we look fondly on pictures of loved ones and remember, so Catholics have statues in their churches. I love the women who humbly said 'yes' to God.
Thank you for letting me vent.
Tell your lovely wife I said happy Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day to you, Margaret, and yes you were being overly sensitive. Any city park has a statue of somebody or other and it's on a literal pedestal. That's what I was talking about literal statues on literal pedestals. We don't love statues of Mary, we love the way she cared for Jesus.
Amen to that. Thank you for clearing that up. :)
your group of misfits could be called : Winkin', Blinkin" and Nod..I can't do the Mr. Spock salute, but I can touch my tongue to my nose..freaky?
If you could touch your eyelid with your tongue I'd be impressed.
if you could touch your eyelid with another part of your anatomy, I'd be even more impressed...
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