Sucker Thinking

I know that you have heard of a snapping turtle even if you have not ever had the opportunity to see one up close and personal, I have, when I was nine years old one locked down on my big toe and I had to wait two hours while Clyde, my six year old brother at the time, went home and brought back a knife to cut its head off with.

Forgive me if I am assuming incorrectly that you are city born and raised, or lived in a part of the worls that does not have snappers. In any case, the old snapper can get quite large, hundreds of pounds, and live many years. The big snappers are fast enough in the water to snap on a toe that is placed near it, but not fast enough to chase down the fish they have for dinner.

Ahhh, but the snapper has a tongue, quite an amazing tongue, it is about an inch or so long and looks and wiggle just like a worm. Just the type of worm that the fish just love for a snack. So when the snapper gets hungry, he just goes down to the bottom of the river or lake he happens to live in and bury himself in the mud and silt. After he snuggles himself in real well, insuring everything is concealed, which is not hard to do because his shell looks as though it could be part of an old tree trunk.

If this was all he did he would starve to death, but the sneak knows how to use that tongue! He opens his mouth and sticks it out and sets it to wiggling. It is so enticing to the fish that happen to swim by that they cannot help but investigate, much to their demise. For little does the fish know that the snapper is hiding his true self, that the vast majority of the monster is hidden beneath the surface, exposing only that which will bring the fish into range of that most powerful mouth that snaps shut with such speed and power that there is no escape for the fish.

They are people who some of us encounter who are very much like the snapper. They hide what they really are, and present a pretty picture of great desirability to the unsuspecting. The worm of deceit that they hang out in front of their true selves is not made of flesh and blood like the snapper’s; rather they spin their worm with lies and duplicity. With their words they paint a picture of desirability, and worm their way into the heart of those they wish to take advantage of, just as the snapper uses the fish's hunger to lure it to his mouth these un-scrupled souls use the hunger in the heart of their prey to beguiled them.

The poor sucker that fell for the perfidiously and deceitful action of the player, con, grafter, or what ever name that you might wish to put on this human snapper is left doubting their own self worth because of the ease in which they were taken in. But this is misguided for the snapper has perfected his worm to the point that only the most astute of us can discern their motives. I know that I cannot.

I trust everyone to do what they will do. and believe what they tell me until I have reason not to. I try to treat everyone as I would be treated. I never give that which I cannot do without, and if the one I give it to turns out to be playing me as soon as I learn their true nature I cut them off. If fraud is involved, and it is extensive, I will bring charges. But like my Mommy used to tell me, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”

Does finding out that I have been had fooled cause me to retreat from the world? Not me, I am here to play the game. I intend to win at least one more time, and win under my own rules. What I offer is what I have, and what I will do to obtain my heart’s desire has it limits. I will not lie, I seldom make promises, for circumstances sometimes have a way of making you break them. I will do the best I can, knowing all to well that sometimes my best fall way short of good enough.

My advise to anyone who has been used, taken advantage of, or had their heart broke. Learn from your experience, and get back in the game, for if you do not put you money on the table you cannot win. If you decide to never take a chance on getting taken again, or having your heart broken one more time, then that is deciding to put your dream on the shelf to gather the dust of neglect. The ones I have met that live a jaded life live an unhappy life; I will not choose that path.
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Rexx