Writing – Page 68 – Inside The Mind of a Psychiatrist

When was the last time you were actually free? You know, filled with passion and wildness, the guy with long hair and a headband and the gal in a tie-dyed dress swaying in unison to the Grateful Dead.

Back “in the day”, there was no dream too big or “mountain too high”. March on Washington to stop the war in Viet Nam. Stop racial bigotry! Burn your bra and announce to the world that women have arrived!

Then BOOM, you’re an adult. Career success means putting in 12 hour days. Child rearing entails devoting hundreds of hours to soccer and carpools, and strategizing about college. It’s understandable. They need you and their dream for the future has become your dream.

But what happened to YOUR personal dream? Did you achieve it? Is there time left for a new one? Is life just paying the bills and fantasizing about retiring and watching your kids live their lives? Maybe they’ll march on Washington to stop the disgrace and abuse of our financial institutions; or stop the importing of Middle East oil; or stop Iran before it puts its nuclear ICBM into action? Maybe we can help?

The “establishment” is rigid and usually uncreative (Look at our government). Because we’re old enough to be in the “establishment”, doesn’t mean we have to play by their rigid rules. Bill Maher broke the rule with the movie Religulous, showing the fallacy of all forms of organized religion. John Stewart breaks the rules every evening on The Daily Show.

What rules can we break and move our world forward? Our brains never have to stop evolving. Being a follower without really understanding what we’re following is stupid and unproductive. Cross whatever line needs crossing and break whatever rule needs breaking. We need to replenish the gap that Steve Jobs left. Who says it can’t be one of us?

All through college and part of med-school, I sold battery cables, ignition wire-sets and jumper cables. I loaded up the trunk of my car with hundreds of feet of cables and hawked them to gas stations and small auto accessory stores.

“Buy a dozen battery cables and I’ll throw in two packages of wire-sets. Plus I’ll give you 20% off,” I’d say, standing under a leaking auto chassis with a sweating mechanic.

“Are dees any good?” one brawny station owner asked.

“They’re great,” I answered. My father had a small factory and made them. They were actually quite good.

“Oh yeah?” He took a jumper cable, held one end in his huge fist and the large clip in the other fist. He grunted, and ripped the large clip off the end of the cable wire.

“What?” I yelled.

“I want 25% off and I’ll buy three dozen cables in all sizes.”

I nodded, ran to the trunk, and made my biggest sale of the week.

Somehow, my life as an author/psychiatrist has gone backwards. Now, instead of selling battery cables, I’m selling Art Smukler and his books. It’s a little weird. Maybe if I were Smuckers Jelly it would be less weird. Maybe not.

On the other hand, Art Smukler is a good product. If you pull hard enough the ends might come off, but they can be re-attached.

Will you lose 15 lbs? Maybe, if you deal with your mother and improve your relationship with your kids. Will you fall in love? Absolutely. Just read Chasing Backwards. If you don’t fall in love with Joe Belmont, you’ll fall in love with Karen Levine.

Plus, I’ll throw in 2 dozen blog posts!