Are YOU a problem thinker?<P>It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.<P>I began to think alone - "to relax" I told myself. But I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.<P>I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself.<P>I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"<P>Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's. I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker.<P>One day the boss called me in. He said "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me a lot to think about.<P>I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been thinking...."<P>"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I am moving to mother's because of it."<P>"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."<P>"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any money!"<P>"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and she began to cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.<P>I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzche, with NPR on the radio. I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass doors.... they didn't open. The library was closed.<P>To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night.<P>As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recgonize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster.<P>Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share expierences about how we avoided thinking since last meeting.<P>I still have my job, and things are a lot better at hime. Life just seemed.... easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.<P> <P>Now for the friendly hello! Sorry that I have been away for awhile... I have been thinking.... a lot. I had also stuck my head in a dark hole so that I wouldn't have to face the world. But thanks to a good friend or two... and let's not forget the pry bar... I am removing my head from the hole and emerging back into the real world. Hopefully it will last for at least a little while.<P>So, what was the point to my little story... With all of these things that are going on in our lives, and with all of the things that we think about.... don't forget to take a little time off from all of that. Live in the moment! Have fun! Enjoy the little things that life hands you without questioning them, rather, just accept them for what they are. Be thankful for your friends and family and let them know how much you appericiate them and how much they mean to you. Take time to relax and to unwind. Be goofy! Play! Smile! And last of all, know that I am thinking of you guys all the time.<P>Have a good weekend!<P>~Java

Great post Java!<BR>As soon as I leave the office today-the over-analyzing stops and the fun begins!!!<P>Have a great weekend!<BR>Petrie

This hits closer to home than you might <B>think</B>... <BR>

Java,<P>Thanks for the humor!<P>Its nice to see you back. I'm glad to see you're feeling well.<P>Steve

Glad to see your getting help for your Thinking <P>Bill

Thinking you have a problem is the first step... <P>------------------<BR>nick<P>it's only time that heals the pain <BR>and makes the sun come out again

Ever stop to think, and then forget to start again????<P>Thanks for your replies all! Hope you all had a good weekend!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>With all of these things that are going on in our lives, and with all of the things that we think about.... don't forget to take a little time off from all of that. <B>Live in the moment! Have fun!</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>WOW...I've been in a cave all day...total waste...will not happen again (at least not in the near future).<P>Thanks for the post,<P>DD

DumbDumb-<BR>Get out of your cave and do something good for yourself! Trust me, I know this from a long amount of expierence... prolonged cave dwelling causes bad eyesight, this strange bent over look, and mild bumps and briuses from running into the walls in the dark!!! Just do as the Monty Python boys always say: "Always look on the bright side of life!" Oh wait... maybe it was "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"... No... I am pretty sure that it is the first of the two. And if you, or anyone for that matter, ever needs someone to talk to off boards about things, I can be reached at figment_of_me@yahoo.com or java_all_night_long@yahoo.com... My e-mail is always open for you all here. Take care of yourselves!!!<P>~Java

Java - It's wonderful to have you back. I've missed you. How did the out-of-town work assignment go?