My mother ued to read "Moral Fables" to me. One of our favorites was the Joel Chandler Harris rendition of "Brer Rabbit, (Brother Rabbit) and the Tar Baby."

I am recognizing a connection here with myself and thought it might be appropriate to share.

Brer Fox went to work and got some tar. He mixed it with some turpentine, and made a Tar-Baby. He put a straw hat on the Tar-Baby and sat her in the middle of the road, then hid in the bushes to see what would happen.

He didn’t have to wait long either, because Brer Rabbit soon came pacing down the road—lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity—as saucy as a jay-bird.

Brer Rabbit come prancing along until he spotted the Tar-Baby. Then he fetched up on his hind legs as if he was astonished. The Tar Baby, she sat there.

“Good morning,” said Brer Rabbit, “Nice weather we’re having.”

The Tar-Baby said nothing.

Brer Rabbit tried again. “And how are you feeling this fine day?”

Brer Fox winked his eye slowly and laid low in the bushes, and the Tar Baby, well, she said nothing.

“How are you then? Are you deaf?” said Brer Rabbit. “If you are, I can shout louder.”

Tar-Baby stayed still.

“You’re stuck up, that’s what you are,” said Brer Rabbit, “I’ll cure you, that’s what I’ll do.”

“Brer Fox, he gave a belly-laugh, but Tar-Baby said nothing.

“I’m going to teach you how to talk to respectable people, if it’s my last act,’ said Brer Rabbit. ‘If you don’t take off that hat, I’m going to beat you up”.

Tar-Baby stayed still.

Brer Rabbit keep on asking, and the Tar-Baby kept on saying nothing.

Presently, Brer Rabbit drew back his fist and -BLIP- he hit the Tar-Baby on the side of the head. And that’s when he lost his cool. His fist stuck and he couldn’t get loose. The tar held him. But Tar-Baby, she stayed still.

“If you don’t let me go, I’ll hit you again,” said Brer Rabbit, and with that he swiped again with the other hand, and that stuck. Tar-Baby said nothing.

“Let me go, or I’ll knock the stuffing out of you,” said Brer Rabbit, but Tar-Baby said nothing. She just hung on, and Brer Rabbit lost the use of his feet in the same way.

Then Brer Rabbit yelled out that if the Tar-Baby didn’t turn him loose he’d head butt her side-on. So he butted, and his head got stuck. Then Brer Fox sauntered out, looking as innocent as one of your mummy’s mocking-birds.

When Brer Fox found Brer Rabbit entangled with the Tar-Baby, he felt really good, and he rolled on the ground laughing. Eventually, he got up and said:

“Who asked you to chat up the Tar-Baby? And who stuck you up the way you are? Nobody in the round world. You just jammed yourself on that Tar-Baby without waiting for any invitation,” said Brer Fox, “And there you are, and there you’ll stay."

How many of us decide we are going to change a situation, the more entangled we become. The more we exert force, either verbal or physical, and wind up getting stuck in it? The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes.

"tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact.

As usual, I am writing to myself. Saying the things I want to remember. Keeping my eyes on the path, enjoying the Journey and walking past sticky situations. These are private words I say to myself in public.

I know that I know and that I don't know, but I forget. Writing it down helps me remember.