The Columnist Manifesto

A colleague of mine recently intervened with me at a critical moment and stopped me from going semi-public with a well-written but probably ill-advised diatribe, using this bit of zen-like wisdom:

"Just because you have a hammer doesn't mean that you have to hit every nail."

Well, he didn't claim that he made it up, and some of you have probably heard that one before. But I hadn't. And, more importantly, it is stunningly true. It's my new mantra. Every day or two, I bring it to mind and refrain from hitting some nail or other.

Here's one that I believe I may have created myself. It was useful for its literal truth on the recent 4-day trip B and I took in New York City, where we were continually catching subways or commuter rail:

"If you're not in a hurry, you don't have to run just because a train is coming."

Pretty good, huh?

______
*Yes, yes, I know I'm misusing the word "mantra." But I don't care. If it bothers you when someone misuses the word "mantra" to refer to philosophical aphorisms, then you need to go back and keep repeating your mantra until you friggin' chill out.