It's a glorious day.

Warm with a refreshing breeze.

The Sun is smiling down on the Conservatory in which...

...I am doing my VAT Return.

I'm gazing longingly at the garden, hoping for a jailbreak.

I kid myself I am a free man, but I'm not. The consequences of not doing my VAT Return on time are serious, though not life-threatening. So I've done a deal: I'll act as an unpaid and unappreciated tax collector for the Government in return for looking like a serious business and getting a stunning 20% off my business expenses. I agreed to this. I put myself in this jail. This is one of my many jails.

Civilised life is like that, isn't it? We all agree to minor compromises of our 'freedom' in return for some kind of payoff. I was distressed talking to a friend the other day as she shared how she had to get so many permissions from her employer to do what she wanted to do with her time. People joke about "wage slaves" but it's not far from the truth.

I shake my head and sigh again in disbelief for possible the 10th time today. My Moodscope score is 20%.

But we can change. I can change.

A Zen Master once asked his keen and highly attentive students, "What keeps a tiger in its cage?" Not seeing the trap, a confident apprentice said, "The bars, Master!"

The Master bowed his head, then raised it beaming broadly at his pupils. With a twinkle in his eye, he declared, "You are nearly there. It is not the bars but the distance between the bars."

Does my VAT Return need to be done today? Almost. I've been putting it off because it scares me, but there's still time. Maybe I could move the bars? I could do some tomorrow and the next day. And this afternoon, I could catch some rays and lift my mood. I can renegotiation my commitment to the jailors.

I know you're in jail too. Tonight, today - whenever you are reading this, I propose a jailbreak. Slap on some "Thin Lizzy" and move those bars.

I'll see you on the outside.

Just let me know where and when...

Lex

A Moodscope member.