a rebours

In the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray", Wilde has his main character reading often from a collection of the same book that is covered in different colored bindings- so that the color would suit any mood he was in. That book was "A Rebours" by Joris-Karl Huysman.  The title translates to "Against Nature".

The best-known example of fin-de-siècle decadence, this novel has been banned and expurgated for years. (We suggest that readers not undertake this book until they have attained the age of 65!) A translation by Robert Baldick ("Against Nature") in the Penguin series is convenient to read and widely available, but we now present a public domain English translation on the World Wide Web, as part of our project to prepare for the coming millennium. A version in the original French is now online at ABU: la Bibliothèque Universelle. (Look for Huysmans under "auteurs".)

presently, i find myself struggling with my own nature. i have always decidedly (and impulsively) acted on instinct. i have mostly trusted my intuition and gotten through most situations. that is not to say that i haven't encountered some (as well as left behind) more than just some collateral damage.

but in a quest to grow spiritually, i am slowly learning to think before i act. this sounds so simple, i know, however first impressions are often superficial. i have been reacting with fear first for most of my life. it has served me fairly well up to this point. i am sure my first friend fear has helped to get me to this juncture and age in my life. no small feat considering some of the very treacherous adventures and interactions that i have surfed.

once again i find myself in a situation that i have initially reacted with fear. but it has not been friendly to me. the fear which so often would fade with a whiskey or two, doesn't do the same dance without the booze. instead, the fear looms and begins to grow like ivy on an iron grate, twisting and turning and changing the appearance of a thing without much notice.

a part of my life has become choked by this growth, and i am trapped in a situation that is toxic. i can't breathe, and i wonder how much i must endure in order to participate in this part of my life. how much should doing what i am doing cost me?

my instinct tells me to run. this has consistently done the trick for me, and taken me from point a to point b. but then there's that collateral damage thing. staying and walking through fear is not my nature at all. i am very well versed in the exit. but staying... whew!

i am here in the dark, not wanting to do what i always do,-run-,  trembling with fear inside, and wondering what will happen next. grasping behind me, fervently trying to find something to hold on to, something to give me a clue as to what's next. something to reconnect me with those things i cannot touch right now- trust and faith..