Sometimes Tongues are for Biting

There's a book I (think I) remember reading to my children called "Toes are to Tickle" where you go through the day in the life of the characters pointing out the purpose of different items. They really could use an update and include many things of which I oft find myself wondering of their purpose. Flowers are for smelling, the book says; assembly directions are for reference after what seems obvious doesn't go together right; alarms are for snoozing - highly practical stuff is what is needed.

Most people would say tongue is for tasting or talking or...whatever. More and more I have found that, at times, tongues are for biting; I mean me biting my tongue in the figurative (most of the time) sense, not randomly biting people's tongues.

I am a person who tends to both speak my mind and wear my heart on my sleeve. It doesn't take much for people to figure out where I stand on an issue - really there's no figuring it out 'cause I've said it.

There has been much that has transpired in the last several weeks that has challenged me to figure out what I should say, what I can say and whether I should say anything at all.

In my position, working at the helm of a non profit agency, there are times I really can't say things that I feel need to be said. There's some provision that limits NP's from making public stances as an agency on legislation. There's a fine line when a person is a person and that person is seen as representing an agency. Not to mention the local "politics" that need to be taken into account.

I wish I could develop an alter we-go (web + alter-ego = w-ego) where I could step out of me and make some experiential and observational statements about stuff that's happening in politics, in the community and in my own little world. Really, the web lends itself to we-go's and many people use them.

For me, I'm too me to not want my ideas tied back to me. If anyone want to challenge me, I want them to do just that. Many times it helps me better understand an issue, revise or strengthen my opinion.

But--

being opinionated - and some might call stubborn or driven by an agenda - polarizes people in some cases. It is frustrating to not be able to make a case about something because someone has already labled your ideas, suggestions, etc. based on how they felt about another completely unrelated position you took. And sometimes you are a product and representative of whatever organization you are tied to - and that's not a bad thing; unless people use your position against said organization. Many times, that's what given you the experience or insight to make the observation/statement.

...and when I say "you" I mean me.

So, do I let loose the reins and put it all there and just deal with the ramifications.

Unfortunately, no.

There's too much damage that can be caused by linkage from me to the agency for which I work to make a public stand at this point. Maybe I should run for public office - though that's not possible in our current political system because I can't image either party would take all of me anymore than I feel like I fit into all of either.

A column might be an interesting venture - though this venue works pretty well. But even here I feel like I need to bite my tongue; who knows who might take what I write here and how. Sometimes I wonder what I am trying to say, meandering around issues and the like.

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(my tribute to Joseph Heller - somewhat random interuption of thought)
Do you remember Larry King's old USA Today column...? That'd be a great format to spit out once a week. Thought-filled, visionary statements like - Is there anything better than toasting then ends of bread with butter and peanut butter...sometimes when I'm talking, I don't listen to what I'm saying, but rather think about what I already said and what I should say next...I think our cat lacks saliva glands because he always wants to have the shower drip on him before he licks himself...if you have ADAH,radio is the perfect ca - SQUIRREL...I really should have a salad once in a while...Hello, Minnatonka
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In the mean time, I'll keep trying to figure out how to work within the system...

and continue to bite my tongue.

Much more of this and I won't have to worry about talking as I won't have enough tongue to talk. Or I'll walk around like Fleck with an old school bandage wrapped around it.