What we are and what we're not

Yesterday, I went to reread my copy of The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart. I hadn't opened this book in a couple of years, but its been on the forefront of my mind lately and yesterday finally felt like the right time. To my surprise, several photos were hidden behind the cover, photos of me as a wee lass that I have no recollection of putting there. My guess is that my father hid them, to surprise me in just the way they did - when I was least expecting it.

One of the photos might be the most incredible, inspiring and simply bad ass photos of me ever taken. I'm about five or six years old, stark naked, jumping fearlessly into the ocean with my fist raised while wearing my floaties, as I was not a great swimmer at the time. It didn't shake me one bit. Just the jump, fist raised, probably shouting something - the child version of "Geronimo!".

From The Dice Man

"If I wasn't consistently a glutton, dressed haphazardly and ironic, consistently practiced psychoanalysis, career and publications I would never get anything done - and who would I be? If I sometimes smoked one way [...], sometimes another, sometimes not at all, dressed differently, was nervous, serious, ambitious, lazy, lewd, ascetic - what would I be? It is how you choose to limit yourself that defines who you are. A person without habits and consistency - and consequently boredom - isn't human. She's insane."

GO FORTH, MY CHILD, AND BE INSANE.