Psychological Substance

You’ve heard me talk about Shad, right? A most interesting fellow. The best friend a person could have and yet he is often quite mysterious and complex.

Shad really likes to explain people, to understand them. Once, he tried to think of an animal that represented each person’s personality. He described one friend as a humpback whale, because it is a gentle, majestic beast. I informed him that, generally, women don’t like to be referred to as whales or beasts of any kind. And yet we all understood that he meant it as a compliment, so we could hardly scold him.

Today, Shad tried to figure out what each person’s psychological substance was. Shad described himself has itchy wool with a static charge. Doug was algae. Tracy was polished leather. Dawn was cotton and Nichole was cotton candy.

What was I? Silk. Things tend to slide off silk and not affect it, yet it should be handled gently and not thrown in the regular wash. Silk can also come across as a bit snobbish, but once you get close, you’re comfortable.

This was one of the few compliments Shad has ever paid me that didn’t offend me. (For instance, he once told me I reminded him of Olive Oil, from Popeye. ‘Cause you know she’s a hottie…) So I decided to find out some of silk's other characteristics. Here’s what I found.
Silk:
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae

It is obtained from cocoons of certain species of caterpillars. It is soft and has a brilliant sheen. It is one of the finest textiles. It is also very strong and absorbent.

Luxurious and strong fabric that is cool in summer and warm in winter.


A fine, strong fiber produced by the larva of silk worms and silk moths. Noted for its strength and resiliency and takes color very well.

Not sure how I feel about being produced by insect larvae. But I'll take it. At least I'm not algae.