Tuesday, September 19, 2006

hush hush

I am a fan of secrets. That is no secret. If you get to know me for any length of time, you probably will find that I love doing things in hushed tones and then watching for a response. It's one of my favorite things.

The response is actually the most important part, because if your secret never comes to a place where people actually want to know what it is, then it ceases to be a worthwhile secret and wanders over into the realm of "things no one cares about," or "things that should stay hidden." I'm not a fan of hiding things without reason, but I am a fan of purposely flying under the radar from time to time while the world around goes on in its silly, uninformed, all-too curious state. There's magic and mystery in the things you don't know. There's a precious art in looking forward to the things you can't see. These aren't the things you don't know you don't know (as someone famous once said), these are the things you know you don't know, but you know for certain that you want to know them.

So with that said, I, at current count, am up in the neighborhood of 7 legitimate secrets that I am currently maintaining. No, there's nothing to be scared of. I just like to be sneaky. Time will reveal all things that are worth revealing, and that's what takes the fear away when I know my little kinivings have come and gone. I hope some day my hushed tones bring a smile to your face.

What was a time you kept a really good secret? (don't giveaway anything current, unless you feel so led)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

see, now i just want to know what they are. not necessarily the secret, just what they're about.

um... you're not telling what song your neighbor secretly sings while cooking breakfast? what your mechanic's mom is getting for christmas? your bank account number?

Anonymous said...

Men are too good at keeping secrets. Women can't stand to know something and not be able to tell anyone. Try as I might I can't keep a secret for a hoot so don't tell me any. I do really good until one day I let down my guard and there the secret comes squeaking out...Oops I didn't mean to say that.

Anonymous said...

Most women can't keep a secret at all. Even if they don't tell you they can manage to leave incriminating papers around that tell all. I've never been surprised for Christmas no matter how hard she tries.

jo portnoy said...

I'm really good at keeping my own secrets BUT I don't tell people I have them.

I have ones from highschool and college still. Some have slowly come out at hilarious moments during reunions... things like, who flipped a campus golf cart the keys were left in. And how my best friend and I mysteriously got home on a stranded night in the hood. Or the best is what caused the smell in the Senior hallway in highschool....

My favorite way to claim ignorance, "I didn't hear about that, do tell!"

blake said...

right jo . . . it doesn't seem to make sense to tell people you have secrets, especially when you have no intention of sharing with them. but it does make it more fun.

it reminds me of when I went to a business meeting and the leaders were trying to talk to me about a certain person without actually talking about him. They said, "We have issues with this one guy. We aren't going to tell you what they are, but WE HAVE ISSUES." I was like, "If you aren't going to tell me what they are, then why tell me you have issues?"

Anonymous said...

I would like to escape from this gender stereotyping because, as a woman, I am pretty great at keeping secrets. My husband, on the other hand, often gets really excited about a "secret" and tells me about it. I enjoy having a good secret tucked away inside, knowing that it will mean a lot of fun for someone else (when the secret is revealed). For example, sometimes I'll buy a Christmas present for my huz well in advance, and I just enjoy knowing that he will love it. He, on the other hand, will give a "secret" present to me right away.

I only like secrets that turn into good things; I think other kinds of secrets can be destructive.

Anonymous said...

i think i'd much rather keep a secret than have a secret kept from me.

blake said...

Yeah, "secrets" can have a negative connotation, and rightfully so . . . it sometimes should. Maybe I should have entitiled this post Fun Surprises. That would be fitting.

And I totally fit in with seth. I have so much enthusiasm for whatever surprise it is I'm planning that I accidentally let some things slip. It's just so good in our minds that we want it all, here, right now, perfect and fun and unexpected.

Anonymous said...

My sister couldn't stand surprises. She would unwrap all her Christmas presents while her husband was at work and then wrap them up again so he wouldn't know. Women now days can't wait until the baby is born to find out what sex it is so they insist on having unnecessary ultrasounds just to find out. It's the ole, "I've got to unwrap my present before it's time," once again.