A good head on the shoulders

If I ask anyone in my circle what they regard as a visible good fortune, I’m sure that the unanimous answer would be:  PowerBall jackpot... lots of money… wealth… financial independence… abundance.  I wonder if anyone would come up with… sanity?

Besides good health, I rank presence of mind on top of my list of human assets.  Perhaps it's because people talking to themselves have become a fixture of my daily commute to and from work.  A very unforgettable incident was when a young man carried a nonstop conversation with himself.  It could have been an angry confrontation, too, because his chat with himself was full of the four-letter "f" word. 

A few times in the past, I‘ve sat in the bus across from the same man who did nothing but carry a gurgling dialogue with himself.  The first time I heard him do it, I thought he was messing with someone on his cell phone.  It bothered me so much that I couldn’t help but check it out.  I found out that there was no cell phone… only the man and his imaginary friend.

Immediately, I felt sorry for him.  He looked normal… clean clothes and neat haircut.  I had to assume that he was suffering from some kind of mental disorder.  His behavior might be disturbing, but he minded his own business.  He didn't look like the type who would get so agitated at the least provocation that he would attack anyone.  That probably explains why despite his erratic condition, he is able to mix and mingle with sane society.

I have to admit that there have been moments at work when I’ve caught myself talking to myself.  Does that qualify as temporary insanity?  I don’t know why I do it except to assume that in those occasions I was simply verbally expressing a thought in my mind.  Simply adding the vocal aspect to a thought to bring more clarity to it, if you will.  I’ve heard people in the office do the same thing, but that’s because they're either mad with themselves or were reading some incredible news on the Internet.   

In addition to the man who makes gurgling sounds on the bus, there was another kind I encountered last year.  The guy stuttered a lot, but that speech handicap didn’t prevent him from carrying a conversation with me and proudly showing his gold medal from past military service.  He kept talking, and I kept interrupting for him to repeat what he just said.  Then his speech became clear as he whined how the government had mistreated war vets like him.  Perhaps I should have politely told him at the start that I didn’t want to chat as I wanted to take a nap, but I felt sorry for him.  He struck me as a very lonely soul and I didn’t have the heart to deny him the solace that I had the opportunity to extend during that fleeting encounter.

Just the other day, there was a young guy who sat behind me who couldn’t help but share his terrible rap routine with the rest of the bus passengers.  The first time I heard it, I thought he was singing out of tune in a foreign language.  No one bothered to give him any attention, so when he was ready to get off, he screamed the rap, explaining that he was doing it for the benefit of the people in the front of the bus who might not have heard him the first time. Since I sat in front of him, I probably should have said something nice to make him feel better.  But these days I tend to go into protected mode in such company.  The last time I struck a conversation with someone like him, he begged me to take him home!

After the rapper-in-an-alien-language left, all the middle school buys made fun of him.  I couldn’t blame those kids.  They’re too young to understand what mental illness is all about, how it can be hard to keep under control in public, and how it is something that the people affected never even wanted for themselves.  It is not their fault that they can't get their head together.  Nevertheless, people shouldn't be quick to make disparaging remarks about folks who suffer from mental disorder.  If we have nothing good to say, it's better to keep our mouth shut!

People who are blessed with mental health are very lucky creatures.  Most of the time, we can distinguish right from wrong.  We have the ability to conquer any roadblocks in life, unobstructed by mental handicap.  We can go through life with a clear head that mentally challenged others don’t have as a personal asset.

Enjoying good health in both mind and body is a bottomless wealth that is priceless and timeless.  Being so blessed is a perpetual “Thank You, Jesus” moment.