Page 73 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author

Chapter Five
THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
Homer Simpson is really an interesting character. If you haven’t heard of him before, Homer is the central charac- ter in a North American adult cartoon called “The Simpsons.”
Homer is a family man. He has an adoring wife and three messy kids, and is a beer-drinking, fun-loving, poorly educated, well- meaning fellow who has the responsibility of working in the control center at the local nuclear power plant!
Homer also lives in my brain.
More precisely, I’ve discovered that he has taken up residence in my fear, fight or flight center: the amygdala.
The best I can figure is that Homer has lived there since I was born. I really can’t complain too much about this meddling fellow because I managed to survive decades with his hands on the controls that released my adrenaline and cortisol. To his credit, he’s done a pretty darn good job of keeping me safe by getting me ready to run out of the way of honking cars and having me avoid scary back alleys!
However, at one point in my life, Homer somehow
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