Friday Favorites: Resignation

I vividly remember a church movie I saw as an 8-year-old.

A man is hiking through sagebrush in a barren, dusty desert when he stumbles upon a rattlesnake. Alarmed, the man begins a cautious retreat.

Here’s the best part: the rattlesnake strikes up a conversation. I’m foggy on the details, but it was something like, “Ssssssay, I could usssssse your help, sssssssir.”

And the guy was like, “Who, me?” (He was probably also thinking, I must be severely dehydrated because I swear that snake just spoke words. Wait, am I drunk? Probably not, this is a church movie. But still – snake, words????)

The snake pleads for the man to carry him up the mountain, claiming that without assistance, he would freeze to death. The man hesitates.

“But if I pick you up, you’ll bite me. You’re a deadly snake.”

“Ssssssssilly man. I won’t bite you. I jusssssssssst need your help. Pleassssssssse.”

The man concedes and carries the snake up the mountain. Inevitably, the snake strikes. Through pain-stricken tears, the man cries, “But you promised.”

(Prepare yourself for the moral kicker).

The snake responds, “You knew what I was before you picked me up.”

Long story long, the snake’s moral punch line has proved very valuable in my everyday life.

When we were newlyweds, Chris could not comprehend the phenomenon of black shoes. He was constantly questioning my need for “a millionth” pair of black shoes. I tried to explain the nuance of essential footwear, arguing that just because a shoe is black does not mean it's outfit-appropriate.

Case in point:

I dare you to tell me how I could live without black flat boots, strappy slingbacks and velvet pumps with a magenta bow.

After a few years (the convincing took time, trust me), when I'd mention my need for a new pair of black shoes, Chris would roll his eyes and say, "I know, I know. I knew what you were before I picked you up."

Talking snakes, black shoes and resigning to an inevitable black shoe purchase are definitely my favorites.

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