The mansion of my mind has many rooms. Each is occupied by a different character. Each character is more or less demanding in desiring to set the rules of the house.

Two who are in constant debate with each other are Analyst and Actor.

Analyst gets up in the morning, gathers the morning silence around him, sips his coffee and ponders. He wonders about yesterday, reflecting on what the owner of the mind did in the past. He tries to understand what it means. He explores his motivation, his feelings, his desires.

But, yesterday doesn’t capture him. He also muses about today and tomorrow. What is the owner of the mind going to do today? Why? What is the best way to spend his day? How shall he interact with the unfinished business of yesterday? Where shall he explore tomorrow?

And then, bursting out of his room comes Actor. Actor has slept in. But, he gets up ready for action. He storms past Analyst’s door and starts emptying the dishwasher. He eats, gets dressed and goes out for a hike. He makes a list of the things that need doing and starts marking them off.

All along, Analyst watches. What is he doing? Why is he doing that instead of the more important things that need doing? What if he makes a mistake? The owner of the mind will have “hell to pay” if he does that.

I am glad both of these characters live in my mind, but I sometimes wonder if Analyst has more power than Actor. I wonder if Analyst is so worried about making mistakes that he keeps owner from listening to Actor. I think Analyst has inherited some perfectionist tendencies that keep him giving some more space to Actor. I think some of my days would be better if Analyst would take more naps and let Actor have the run of the house.