The other day a friend attempted to give me a life lesson by stating, “You can achieve anything you set your mind to do. I believe that.”
I’ve heard that saying before. There was a time when I would have agreed. No longer. Does that make me sound a little jaded? I hope so, because I am. You can’t do everything you set your mind to do. It’s impossible and now I realize it. Sorry, folks. Sad, but true.
Case in point, I was sitting at home the other night watching TV and leaning against an ice pack for my back. Yes, I’m still having back problems. They said up to six weeks to heal, if I’m careful, and it’s going to take every day of that. Then, in the middle of my relaxation process, I needed to blow my nose. As I looked around for the roll of toilet paper that I knew I had brought with me for just such a reason – out of boxed tissues. It was just out of my reach. I stretched ever so slightly for it, but to no avail. There was no way I was going to reach it.
Has this ever happened to you? You want to get comfortable after a long day so you gather everything you need within easy reach. Food, check; water, check; remotes, check. Then you settle down in your most comfortable chair only for something to happen, prompting you to have to move. Your mind begins to spin as you seek a way around what you know is an inevitable outcome.
So, what’s a girl to do? I sat there and pondered my options. I really didn’t want to get up because I was comfortable. Children aren’t home. The dog won’t fetch a roll of toilet paper. My dog will eat it, but not gently bring it to me. Bed sheets aren’t loose enough for me to pull them and bring the roll closer.
I then did what any rational person would have done. I focused my mind on the toilet paper and willed it to elevate off the bed and float to me. Try as I might, and I really tried, it didn’t budge. If it had eyes, it would have been rolling them at me with a look of "Really? You’re really doing this?"
So much for my attempt at telekinesis, also called psychokinesis, which is the ability to move objects through mind power. Many people believe in psychic ability. I can’t say I’m one of them. However, I’m open to the possibility. Just because I can’t do it doesn’t mean someone can’t.
When I told my friend my reason on why I no longer think I can do anything I set my mind to do, she laughed and said, “You aren’t in Jedi training to use The Force.”
I eventually got up, destroying two things: my comfort and the delusion I can do anything I set my mind to do.
Standard reporter Lisa Hobbs can be reached at 473-2191.