My thoughts for this post hit me immediately when I was browsing through the U words.
The choice: Umpire.
Now… I realize that the girl in my illustration looks more like a referee than an umpire, but that was intentional.
The difference is a lot like “you say tomayto” and “I say tomahto.” No matter how you slice it, it’s still a tomato.
And umpires and referees are kind of like tomatoes. We call them different names, but they do the same thing (more or less). They officiate.
The background kind of resembles a tennis court… just to accentuate the fact that the sport, or the name of the official, is irrelevant in this discussion.
I started thinking about what I said, that maybe our True Self is responsible for keeping our shadow selves (or our other personalities) in order. If you ponder that long enough, you have to wonder what (or who) that true self actually is.
It seems reasonable to me that our true self is our consciousness, because it is able to do exactly what I mentioned… keep our inner critics and misfits in check.
Like an umpire, it makes sure that those pesky personality types stay in line, and play according to the rules.
That could mean society’s rules, or perhaps the rules that we’ve set up for ourselves, individually. In some cases, maybe it pertains to laws (the legal system’s rules) but where I live, that can be pretty iffy.
Regardless, it seems that our consciousness is not only in charge of our various personalities or personas, but is also the source of our conscience.
It’s funny to think about, and I think it could be useful as well. Maybe it’s possible to change our own bad habits or thoughts when we permit the umpire to do his or her job – to call us out on our misdeeds.
I imagine my inner workings to sound something like this…
Penalty!
False Start!
Unnecessary Roughness!
Interference!
Holding!
Foul!
Strike Three… You’re out!
And when things really get crazy… “You’re outta here!” I’d like to say that to many of my inner critics, trust me.
Lastly, since I’m in the midst of this unplanned sports analogy, you can’t forget the ‘Instant Replay.’
In real life, it’s a bit like reflecting on your day – or your life. You can view it back in slow motion, enabling you to take notes, see your mistakes, and celebrate your victories!
All of that being said, I think the word Umpire was a great choice for the letter U. Without these officials, our shadow selves (various personalities) would be left to their own devices, causing all sorts of problems.
So… let’s hear it for the umpires!
“Referees are the law. They have a whistle. They blow it. And that whistle is the articulation of God’s justice.” -Harold Pinter
Thank you for reading or viewing… I hope you enjoyed something here!
a sprinkle of faith 
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