It’s one of those days when my mind wanders and finds itself snagged, like a favourite sweater, on an idea. The only way to deal with it is to take a step back, stop saying those bad words, gently unhook it from the cat and try to pull the threads back in place. The thoughts didn’t seem to get completed, however, so here are 3 of the ones that come closest to making any sense.
Why the 7 heavenly virtues? Ask the cat: she walked across the keyboard and that’s where google ended up…
1. Patience.
I’m fighting a cold and there is a great wad of cotton blanketing my brain. I suppose the unkind might say that 
cotton is always there, like in a pill bottle, to keep the contents from rattling around too much: I’m just more aware of it now. It’s like the quirky movie, Nothing. (If you have 2 hours to spare it’s an interesting movie. It runs 90 minutes but you’ll need the extra 30 to sit afterwards and wonder just what the hell it was you watched. Yeah, one of those kind of films. )
You will need patience with me because my ears are ringing right now. They’re plugged and ringing and, in terms of electrical activity, there is a 10 pound canary throttling the garden hose that connects the ears to the speech centre of my brain. Which has taken a coffee break.
So be patient. I will ask you to repeat things many times. I know it’s annoying but wouldn’t you rather I bring you the beer you asked for instead of the litter box?
2. Kindness.
It took me a very long time to understand the concept of being kind without expectation of any reward. I had a prof who told me never to say “thank you” to him. I thought it odd at the time and certainly contrary to everything 
mom had taught me. As it turned out this prof had many ideas that were unconventional, including insisting we learn to say a sonnet in one breath while doing sit-ups.
Now I understand that if we have an expectation of something in return it is simply an exchange of services. Saying ‘thank you’ has very little to do with it, however, and can never be said often enough.
I still remember the sonnet.
3. Honesty (why just one aspect of Chastity?…well, because there are limits to this whole ‘suspension of disbelief’ thing)
We all keep things inside that we are certain would lead to our rejection from the herd should they be revealed.
It is not a matter of honesty to reveal these things. After watching reality tv, I’m convinced it is much more considerate to leave them undisturbed.
Excuse me, either the phone is ringing or the canary needs a nap. Either way I feel the need to lie down for awhile: maybe that’s why I can’t think of anything to say about ‘Diligence’.