(no subject)
“I’m an open book, and I mean that. I’ll answer any question at any time about anything. I’ve learned, and this is something you’d be wise to accept as well, that the only secrets worth keeping are the ones that keep your interesting to other people. The rest aren’t so much secrets as they are little quirks. For example, if you keep it a secret that you eat cheese every night at midnight, well that’s not interesting at all. That’s just you not wanting anyone to know what a glutton you are. If people were to find out, sure you might get chastised, but no one would waste any time on it - unless of course they were a Defiler, someone who makes something out of nothing. I believe I’ve mentioned them. Only they would make a big deal about your cheese-eating. Only them. But it doesn’t matter, because Defilers aren’t worth a damn anyways. They make terrible friends. They like drama - not build-up. That’s another thing that’s extremely important. Build-up. You see, there are two distinct groups of people. Sure, there are little sub-groups that men and women fall into, but every single person on this planet belongs to one of two groups. The Shakers, or the Exploders. You might think, by the names, that it’s better to be an Exploder, but I’m quite delighted to inform you that it is not. Exploders are the kind of people who don’t care about the build-up. They don’t give a damn about all the intricate little details and the small sways and curves and bumps and lumps of the build-up. To them, that’s just a necessary evil. It’s the detour you can’t avoid. Exploders, they’re strange, and I’ll tell you why. What they like is when everything reaches the climax. They like all of the major stuff - the stuff movies are made of. Exploders don’t see that the climax, the explosion, is nothing special. It’s just the beginning of the end. It’s when things grow boring and useless. That’s why most Exploders are Defilers. But I will tell you this: all Defilers, every single one of them, is an Exploder.
“Shakers are much more pleasant, I can tell you that with the utmost certainty because I am one. Now, you’ve probably just come to the conclusion that not only am I biased, I’m also downright dishonest. You’ve got it half-right. I’m many things, but biased is certainly not one of them. When I tell you anything, you should probably wonder if it’s true. But never, ever assume that I’m giving you anything other than a completely impartial answer.
“Anyhow. Shakers. They’re marvelous things, I’ll tell you that much. Us Shakers appreciate the things that normally aren’t cared about at all. Like build-up. Or the fact that people are the most beautiful they’ll ever be right before they fall asleep with the window open and plenty of pillows beneath their head. Or the way people tend to look away from others when they’re uncomfortable. Us Shakers, we appreciate these things, these small, tiny, baby things because we’re enlightened. We know that life is far too brief to care much about the big things. None of them matter. The big gestures, big events, big trends, big hair-dos. None of them matter one bit. Because, and this is the most important part of this whole thing, I think, and I’m apt to tell you because I’m the biggest shaker of them all, when you die - and we all will someday, and we can’t control that no matter what. Anyhow, when you die, the things you’ll remember best are the small things leading up to the big ones. The details. The single grains of rice in the Crocker Pot that is life. You’ll remember the way Bobby Joe stuttered as he explained how passionate he was about flying kites. The way Mary Jane fiddled with a hole in the couch that night the two of you spent hours talking about the trivial dramas of the eleventh grade. The way, just before your mother gave you your first bike, she pat your head and her wedding ring became stuck in one of your frizzy curls and the way that when she died, that same ring scratched the knuckle on your thumb when she pat your hand for the last time. Those are the beautiful things. Those are the things that matter. Those are the things that keep life interesting. And it takes a Shaker, like me and I think you, to even begin to appreciate them.