Advice from nearby

I was dreaming the other night about doing various lawn chores naked. It was not an anxiety or shame-filled dream -- I had a lot to get done and being naked was not the central issue. But there was a point where someone said, “Hey, let’s take it inside. Not everybody needs to see this.”

I take this as a fairly clear message from my subconscious.  Just a little reminder about having a bit of decorum and some reasonable boundaries.  

I think because my father was prone to offering cryptic statements in lieu of actual advice -- when I learned about the prophetic sibyls of ancient Greece, I felt a zing of recognition -- it's second nature to translate this message into suggestions to live by.  

For instance, tidy the yard, but don't make the neighbors suffer.

Or, maybe: attend to that mountain of chores (the weed-whacking and hedge-trimming of a big story, for example), by all means, but (and this is something I snarl in general impatience) keep your damn pants on! 

---