It's Like Being On The Arc De Triomphe Roundabout

Have you ever been there ? I haven't and I'm not sure I would put it on my bucket list either. The reason it came to mind was because I sat down to write my post and I was flitting between so many options, I thought 'It's like being On the 'Arc De Triomphe' roundabout

It's busy, that's for sure and there are twelve exits, I believe. I used to know the 'why' but that folder is now empty. I'm sure it had something to do with 'pointing towards'. The direction of each road is symbolic, I think. Someone will know.

No point saying it's one thing when it could very well be something else, now is there?

It was no surprise that I came with this post then, originally it had nothing to do with the title as that came as an after thought. I was actaully sifting through one of the piles of notes.

It's a thankless task as they are no longer in order, don't laugh, they were in chronological order before they were knocked off the arm of the sofa (I prefer settee but sofa seemed the better fit. In Turkish, it's 'sofa' and in Arabic it's 'suffah'. They reckon 'settee' might have come from 'settle'. I think they might be right)

So, maybe not one hundred percent chronological but somewhere close. Either way, they are now totally messed up and I haven't had the inclination yet to sort them properly, hence the 'sifting'.

I didn't have to sift very far before I came across a piece of paper that intrigued me.

In case you're having trouble reading my scrawl, it says 'A la recherche du temps Perdu'. Apparently the 'A' should be an 'À'.

I don't remember writing this, that's the first issue. Not even a burning ember of a memory. The first thing that happened after I had read it ? Thoughts of Monty Python. A sketch where they have to summarise Proust.

"Proust in his first book wrote about, wrote about. Fa la la la, he wrote about, he wrote about. Proust..." and so it goes on until the buzzer sounds.

That didn't really help me. The literal translation or maybe the original title before translation was 'In Search of Lost Time'. Once again, the irony is not lost on me. 'Lost time' or not having enough time, are concepts I am all to familiar with.

So much to do and so little time, as they say. It's not true though, or at least I don't think like that. There will always be too much to do, that's how it works if you want to further whatever endeavour you are trying to accomplish.

I'll go back a couple of steps, then you'll see why this was all so bizarre. I had the 'roundabout' thought because I had so many possible subjects to write about.

Then I pulled out a pulled out a piece of paper with some French writing on. Interesting. The Monty Python reference was a bonus.

The thing is, do you remember that I had some more notes that could follow on from the previous post 'Putting An End To Loose Ends' ? No ? Come on, it was only yesterday.

Alright, I'll tell you. It was specialised knowledge, self education and mentors. I think they can all tie in together, standalone or both. I have notes on two of them, I would just need to fill in the blanks on the third.

No matter, that's not relevant. It started me thinking about 'specialised knowledge' and that sometimes you have to fully embrace one area, immerse yourself in the subject so that you can fully understand it.

Sometimes I feel like I'm Matt Damon in 'Good Will Hunting'. The scene where Robin Williams takes him down a peg or two. Here's a snippet (Have that Mr.G)

“So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right ? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that."

With me so far ? Now we go back to the roundabout. At some point, you have to pick an exit, close your eyes and go for it.

Once you have made the decision, then you have to follow it to its natural conclusion. You have to stay on that road until you have completed whatever it is that you've chosen to do.

That's where the 'specialised knowledge' comes in. We have many strings to our bows, or arrows in our quiver, and it's easy to end up like Matt Damon, knowing a small amount about plenty of things but never enough for it to be of any use.

It's great for 'small talk' but it's not going to be any good in the grand scheme of things. You don't need to be an expert but it helps if you know more than the 'blurb' on the back of the book.

Find that 'something' and commit to learning all about it, inside and out, so that it becomes an asset.

There is a piece missing from all of the above (Just one?). The literary work by Proust is to do with 'Involuntary memory' In oversimplified terms, it's those memories that occur due to a 'trigger' in everyday life.

My involuntary memory was the Monty Python sketch that appeared after seeing the name 'Proust'. There, the circle is complete, even if it's a bit of a wobbly line in places.

Sorry it's a long one but you have to go with where the thought takes you, sometimes. Now I need to decide which road I'm going down this afternoon.

Hope you're having an outstanding start to your week. Stay safe, healthy and happy.

Twack Romero.