My Wayward Answer

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

I feel the need to go all Kobayashi Maru* on this question. You can read my answer while you share this earworm with me, courtesy of my post title.

The prompt seems to suggest an object of some sort. But there’s no thing I always carry with me. When driving, I take my wallet and keys. When walking, I take my phone. (Yes, I should take water, too, I know, I know…) Working around the house I probably have a tissue or two lurking in my back pocket ready for an allergy sneeze. The objects vary on the location and context.

So what do I suggest we should carry with us at all times? *Like Captain Kirk cheating on the unwinnable scenario, I’m going to shift the answer to intangibles. We should always maintain a sense of pride, of dignity, and of optimism. Even if it’s cautious optimism. Because these three things, or attributes, will let you travel among others in society and let you feel worthy that you belong there. They will give you solace in times of isolation. They will bring light to that dungeon room of despair, self-doubt, and worry that so many find themselves plunged in, especially these days.

On the tip of my tongue the other night was the sentence, “Why do you feel you don’t deserve time to yourself, to participate in an activity you would enjoy?” I think the answer would have revealed an absence of the three items I listed above. One doesn’t need a physical jail to deprive oneself of freedom if one allows themself to languish in a cell of negativity, pessimism and despair of their own making.