‘O, pooh! boating!’ interrupted the Toad, in great disgust. Silly boyish amusement. I’ve given that up long ago. Sheer waste of time, that’s what it is. It makes me downright sorry to see you fellows, who ought to know better, spending all your energies in that aimless manner. No, I’ve discovered the real thing, the only genuine occupation for a life time. I propose to devote the remainder of mine to it, and can only regret the wasted years that lie behind me, squandered in trivialities.’
I’ve always been a huge fan of Mr Toad. His impulsive enthusiasm for each new project – I hesitate to call them fads – is something that resonates with me, and I share his delight in finding a new scheme, a new goal, a new interest to throw myself into wholeheartedly. I also admire his unabashed dismissal of each scheme when he gets tired of it. There’s no shame-faced attempt at a cover-up and no stuttering of face-saving excuses, he just brushes it off contemptuously and leaps on to the next idea with undiminished enthusiasm. It’s just like falling in love again – it’s always as exciting as the first time.
I admit that Mr Toad is also boastful and conceited, but it’s perfectly possible to aspire to his positive characteristics and tactfully sidestep the negative ones. After all, people who wish they had Einstein’s brain don’t usually hanker after his hairstyle as well.
So, I plan to release my inner Toad and embrace anything and everything that comes my way. The rule is that I must seize every initiative with great enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t have to be permanent and can be abandoned at the second setback (the first setback is too soon … think worm not toad).
Other enthusiasms may cross my path along the way, and that’s the beauty of it – toads enjoy frequent diversions – so who knows where I’ll end up?
Toads of the world unite! Let’s flaunt our whimsical natures … predictability is so last year.