“We have been given brains that enable us to figure some things out, and egos that lead us to believe we can figure everything out.”
Therein lies a big problem.
I’m quoting my husband George above. When these words popped out of his mouth, we shared the thought that this simple truth pretty much figures everything out.
I’m as fond as the next person of how well my brain works to solve hard problems that come up in life. Like how to get the taxes done, or how to talk to a doctor when a loved one is ill. Not only is my brain helpful. It’s also extremely entertaining, such as when I engage it in solving complex problems or engaging in a lively conversation.
It’s just that sometimes it has no sense of when enough is enough. Especially when it teams up with my ego, my Inner Know It All. Then it’s a one-two punch, and this can often happen in the early morning hours, when I’m least defended.
So there I am, awake at 3:00 am, believing that I’m in charge of the Universe, that this is a good time for my brain to hash over whatever answers might have eluded it earlier in the day. My ego can believe at this hour that my thinking self will find the answer, the correct answer, if I just keep listening to it as it clicks away.
And this is often a mistake. Because, whether or not I want to acknowledge it, I’m sometimes wrong. Even when I listen to my Very Good Brain. Especially 3:00 a.m. This is a rule of thumb my truly wise self has discovered and I pass on to you: Never believe anything you think at 3:00 am.
Laughing – you know, that knowing kind of laughter? Yep. I like your Very Good Brain a lot.
“Never believe anything you think at 3:00 am.” – Very wise words indeed!
I’m quite infatuated with my Very Good Brain, especially at 3:00 a.m.
Nope. This morning it was 4:30, so maybe it’s getting the message I’m listening and came late to the party!