Careers in Science: Clinology

The clinologist sits down on a chair in the room he’s trying to declutter and says, out loud, “wow”.

Thirty years, you can collect a lot of stuff. The twenty-two years before that he just lost stuff, I guess.

Stacks and stacks of printed matter. Manuscripts.

Tom Waits’ voice says, “A lock of his daughter’s hair in an envelope,” like a line from “What’s he building in there?”

“A giant beetle preserved in a glass box.”

Love letters from his girls when they were little.

A two foot stack of journals in which half the entries say how tired he is, and the other half how depressed he is.

Pictures, in which he looks depressed or tired or apologetic for living.

“Wow,” he says again, realizing what a drag that must have been for those around him.

All those years.

Was it worth it?

Fighting his way out of that tar pit by himself?

Was it worth it? wonders the clinologist.

He made it out. Now here he is.

All covered in tar. Getting tar all over everything as he tries to tidy up the room, to decide what to throw away and what to keep.

How could he not have noticed all that tar before?

3 responses to “Careers in Science: Clinology

  1. Dr. Deluxe says never underestimate the healing powers of an afternoon nap. Have provision for it written into your contract or pre-nup agreement. Do not be denied the rest your body needs.. everyone is different and needs different amounts of sleep, some at different times.

    Pre-historic mankind slept on the run while hunting for food- following herds or running from predators. He slept when he could or whenever he needed to. This whole thing about sleeping for eight hours between certain times of the night was created during the Industrial Revolution to conform us into obedient workers. The overlooked side-effect is lethargy, which can result in depression.

    Since childhood I rarely slept for more than four hours at a time. It took me a long time as well to figure out why I was always tired and bummed out.

  2. This feels so much like where I am. Thank you for writing Mig.

    I was just re-reading Careers in Science: Balneology. “Come down out of your crazy tree of grief and accept your blessing of mortality and life” has become a touchstone phrase among my people. I am so grateful for your posts.

  3. k

    i wrote “smiling” and clicked submit but wordpress told me my comment was too short and it suggested i try again.

    this is that try.