My Golden Salamander

I am incredibly efficient. I can sit down, identify everything that needs to be done, and write a productive list. I can prioritize what needs to be done, how long it will take, and what can be parallel processed to save time. This is a skill that I have honed over many years, leaving me an asset to an employer, an excellent student, and able to take on great stress with a calm, practical approach.

If you are wondering why and how I honed these skills there are two reasons. The first, I am highly competitive. I must be the best at whatever I undertake, which makes me a hard worker. At the same point in time, however, I am an amazing procrastinator. I can find distraction in anything. I can invent whole operas to prevent the inevitable hard work. I can see something shiny on the floor through the back of my skull. Something that must be investigated.

Which explains how I found my golden salamander. I don't remember why I was on the ground, probably searching for a dropped penny. But when I was down there I saw something that looked different than the other random debris that floats around my hardwood floor near the often open doorway. There was something about this particular shadow that seemed vivid and alive, despite its stationary form. Of course I reached for it. It was so young and small that it didn't know much about the ways of the world and, to protect itself, it ran for the nearest cover, which was a cave that I had made with my legs to get down on the floor to investigate. So, now that it was completely trapped, I was able to catch it and pick it up.

At first he was very twitchy and nervous, running up and down my arm with a fluid and graceful gait. He looked more like a snake than a lizard and was shimmering and golden. After a short time he decided that my warm arm and steady gaze were no threat and he relaxed his breathing a little and stayed stationary. Once he was still I was able to find my camera, open a new canister of film, load it, and take 25 pictures while he fell asleep on my arm! Then my arm got tired and I tried to relax, and he got scared and ran down my arm to my leg and eventually onto my foot, where he decided again that he was safe.

So then I decided to get back to work while he waited on my foot and eventually wandered off and explored the chords under the desk. Even with the loss of an hour, I still got all of my work done and turned in on time. Good skill to have.