Tempted to Touch

Why do children love touching hot stoves…especially after being warned not to? Why did Eve eat the cursed fruit, after God said that she could have everything else but? What is it about the things we are forbidden to do that draw us like moths to flames, sometimes we get singed, other times burned beyond recognition…but rarely during these taboo adventures do we walk away unscathed.

I want all the scientists (and other learned folks) out there to conduct a study…because I need to know why people are compelled to just throw caution into the wind and do what they know they should not (read: drugs, people, eating daddy’s big piece of fried chicken).

I’m thinking its because for the most part life gets very routine for most of us. For me there’s work. Then church. Shopping. And hanging out with friends. You have yet to see me call in sick to work and just drive someplace for a couple of days. I’ve never been to a restaurant and asked the waiter to just bring me something on the menu….because hey, I need to know what I’m getting before I get it.

Though I consider myself the furthest thing from a Type A personality…when it comes to taking action I tend to ponder. Then mull over. Then ponder. Then table. Then scratch my head before I seriously think about doing something.

But there was that one time… I like to share this story with people who are new to my world. I guess I think it makes me interesting or gives me street cred (either way its sad) but back in my teen years I got catch shoplifting. Now I can enjoy the shocked responses I receive with this fun fact about me...Really Amaretto? You? Ah yes, even me. And I continue to explain that I had more than enough money to cover the items that I took. But I just wanted to see what would happen next. See if I could get away with stuffing sunglasses and jeans in my bag. Plus it was spring break and my friend and I were bored…out of our minds. And in hindsight the thrill of the crime didn’t outweigh the consequences I received from my parents and the law…

Sometimes though, the revelation of consequences is not strong enough to combat the catalytic power of both boredom and curiosity. Life gets more interesting when we wander off the paved path and we get to learn from our transgressions. There is a luring appeal when we ignore the black and white and meander into the forbidden shades of grey. And knowing that sometimes consequences can be too costly to pay I still can’t help but debate how hot that stove really be…

It’s just too tempting to touch!

See You in Seven