Mercury

You see only the obvious. You think that I change rapidly, my moods expanding and contracting according to the ambient temperature.  Maybe I am volatile. I can’t really deny that. Watch out for me, especially when the temperature rises. I’m a conductor, after all. It’s hard not to react when electricity all around moves through me. I can be dangerous, toxic even, but I’ve never tried to hide that. I’ve told you to handle me with care. Make sure you approach me only where there is room and air to breathe. You’ve already decided that if you let me spill over into the other parts of your life, I may pollute them. I may be poison.

There’s more to me than what you see, though. Do you know how strong I am? Being malleable does not mean that I am easily pushed around.  The fact that I can take change in stride is actually a sign of essential stability. Do you realize how easily and effectively I work with others? I bond with them, I take on their best qualities, and I add mine to them. That is strength, too. Don’t be fooled by my bright and shiny appearance, how easily and gracefully I seem to flow from one situation to the next, how I seem to produce my own cheerful light as I do so. I may dazzle, but it’s not all superficial. Admire me, watch me move, listen to what I’m telling you about the heat you produce in and around me. You won’t keep me still, though. Containing me is fraught with peril. Don’t even try.