It is said that we are what we do. The assumption implicit in this statement is that we are what we appear. Certainly, this could be true if not for the fact that it most often is not. If so, none of us would be unhappy with where we work. The reality is closer to this: We are what we wish to portray ourselves as. Even that isn't entirely true. We are less than we wish to protray ourselves.
Suppose I'm on vacation and I spot a young lady whom I'm attracted to and I notice that a similar state of mind has infected her. When I see her perhaps later in the day or that night and she's poolside sipping on the latest alcoholic invasion, she is apt to look on me with admiration, as a broad smile and sparkling eyes would indicate. I might likewise great her appearance in like fashion. In the courting phase, whether this is a one night stand, or whether there are hopes for more long term possibilities, the process is the same. She sizes me up and decided whether or not I fit the image she has created in her mind as someone she can be attracted to. During this phase, I am likely to try to impress her with my humor or intellect, of some interesting form of insight. As I stand out, her decision to direct her attention to me is confirmed.
The problem is; outside of courtship, the charade will eventually decay. The walls will not be of stone, but rather of paper colored so, much as a backdrop for a play. We all know this, but our sense of hope and eternal optimism blinds us. Eventually, I am a compromise and will ever be weighed on a scale to determine whether I provide more felicity or disgust.
