FIRE PIT LIT

I Don’t Have Many Leather-Bound Books

I’m not from San Diego, but I am very important

Check out this bust they made of me at the George Dickel Distillery — Photo property of the Author

Every month, we have a home-cooked dinner with our dear friends. When they come to our house, they bring bottles of top-shelf whiskey and wine paired for the meal. Last month, we were at their house, where they prepared appetizers, a featured cocktail, and a Michelin Star-worthy feast.

We waste no time getting into deep discussions. Over appetizers, we got into the topic of cults. We explored how completely sane people get sucked into the cult, one day finding themselves in a fanatic fellowship doing wild and crazy things.

Amanda looked at me and said, “You’ve got what it takes to start a cult.”

She and I used to work together at a company big on having employees take personality tests. The HR team was adamant about the ordeal not being called that. “It is a skills assessment,” they said. Whatever. It was a personality test.

The whole thing was a painful experience. Not only did we have to take the test, We had to suffer through training sessions where we were called upon to share our results. The test told me something I was dreadfully aware of. My top skill is the ability to persuade others.