Monday, January 28, 2013

Merlin

King Arthur doesn't have anything up on me.  When I was younger, I had a mentor named Merlin.  My Merlin was called a poet not a wizard, but really... both professions seem to have a lot to do with the magic of words.  My Merlin is one of the wisest men I have ever met.

Once I went to him and told him that I was engaged to a man who had money and loved me and I could spend my days reading and going to museums and concerts in NYC.  After I finished Merlin reached over and patted me on the knee and said, "It sounds easy.  Some of us don't get easy."  He was right.  I couldn't go through with it and since then my path has been somewhat difficult.

Merlin used to get up at four in the morning and grade papers.  I always thought this was freakishly devoted of him.  I knew that he lived in great physical pain, but I didn't realize how he dealt with it.  This morning I got up at four thirty and now, about three hours later, I have finished my morning's work of annotating a book I wrote for my niece.  Live and learn.

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