What if you’re Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Sharing a piece of prose today from my first book, Rhetoric in Motion, that captures an effort to not just articulate, but better understand (and even reconcile) with two different, distinct parts of myself – one tougher, one softer. If it ever feels difficult for you to manage different parts of yourself, like you have to live in a box, or perpetually explain/defend that which you or anyone else believes you to be (but feels incomplete), this one’s for you.

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     Oh, OK… vs Oh. Okay.

     An exploration into my own Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and maybe encouragement for you to      explore your own, and/or, the efficacy of your own framing…

    “Oh, OK…” is best described as my New York alter ego. She has a chip on her shoulder,              gamifies everything. Lives to conquer, put on a show, leverage rage.

    “Oh. Okay” leads with love. She speaks less, listens more, is more consistent, more patient,        kinder, softer.

    Sometimes “Oh, OK” is a shield for unmet needs, unresolved pain. Other times “Oh. Okay”        is a crutch to not engage (where I’m scared to fail), concede to “it’s fine” when it’s not fine.

    Where is the exact line, the exact moment that my strengths, your strengths, become my          weaknesses, your weaknesses? And vice versa?

    Couldn’t tell you.

    But. It seems… one constant for maximizing your “best” face, in any given interaction,              includes genuine consideration for all other faces in the room. 

Moral of the story: name your parts, but know there’s always nuance. Let’s be alchemists for adaptation, alright?