Stuart Williams - Cutlery. Or: Who's In Charge?

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Cutlery - A Journey (or: Who's in Charge - Your Mind or Your Self?)

I have it on good advice that the mind is a tool - to be used when you need it to complete a task, and then to be returned to the box. Like any tool. I wish I'd known that when I was a kid, but never mind. Better late than never.

How does a person know, though, whether the Mind or the Self is writing the story of their life? Here are a few pointers from the Little Book of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (which I haven't finished compiling yet – if you'd like your own OCD's considered for inclusion do please write in):

You know your mind is in charge when you realise that for years you have had a favourite fork and that you won't, or possibly can't, eat your dinner till you've fished it out of the dirty washing up and rinsed and dried it ready to use now. At once.

You know your mind is in charge when you realise that you'd rather dip your face into your dinner to eat than use the wrong fork.

You know your mind is in charge when you decide to counter this behaviour by denying yourself the use of your favourite fork.

You know your mind is in charge when you feel smug about deliberately using the wrong fork.

You know your mind is in charge when you realise you have a second-favourite fork. Which you now always use.

You know your mind is in charge when you discover that you will consider using any fork from the drawer. As long as it's stainless steel. With short tines.

You know your mind is in charge when you reject several forks, one after another, in order to use your least favourite fork.

You know your mind is in charge when you permit yourself only the use of the old EPNS forks in the drawer. Which you've hated since childhood.

And finally (for now at any rate)

You know your mind is in charge when you dump all your cutlery and replace it with a new set - in which all the forks are identical...

The Mind is where the Shadows/Pain bodies/Sub-personalities/Tigers live. The Self is (bet you can't guess) your true self. Which is writing your story?

(NB: I now have a new favourite fork which I always use without a care in the world. On the grounds that it's my gig and I'll do whatever the hell I want.)