Tagging or rather ...monkey puzzle

I'm not sure if this word..monkey-puzzle exists everywhere. I can't find an explanation for monkey puzzle in any of my 5 dictionaries, apart from the monkey puzzle tree, which is actually explanatory enough: "A coniferous evergreen tree, native to Chile, having intricately ramifying branches covered with overlapping, leathery, lanceolate, prickle-tipped leaves".

Etymology: Perhaps from the obstacle its intertwined branches would pose.

So, somewhere, someone brought this concept to schools and colleges and exams and career tests and personality tests and then it ended right up here on EDM in tagging.

Before you continue reading, take a look at these friends, who have scored high on their monkey-puzzles...Mary(emma pod), KsKlein, Robyn, Carole, Jan. You all know them well actually, or so you think...

I have never been good at monkey puzzle, not at school, not at university and definitely not in any personality test. Maybe because I'm bad at making choices, or maybe because of my fear of making a bad decision, or might it be that I'm too afraid of missing out on something if I choose one thing. Most likely it is because I feel that if I can only be allowed to justify my answer, I might score just half a point.Of course that's not how a monkey-puzzle works! You choose A or B and that's your one shot at a point.

This might explain why I loved history and biology and physiology and every other area in life where I was allowed(and not) the freedom to write and draw my mind. That way I could justify my answer with unending mind blabbering, which I did so convincingly(sometimes) that I did indeed score my half a point. By hindsight I suspect I got the point only because my writing was too tiresome to read and for the slight chance that there might be a point's worth of correct information somewhere. Or simply for pushing my luck.

I could also be very descriptive, up to the point of utter confusion, which of course, all worked in my favor. I sincerely hope it is the case here.

Well, that half a point got me everywhere in life. It taught me to never give up, even when you think it is impossible, there always lurks a lucky shot.

It taught me that reasoning is a good way of communicating. It taught me that listening is an even better way. It taught me never to become a politician. And never to marry one. It taught me to know when to stop. Which is right about now.

Now I have to tag seven people. A choice I can't make without starting justifying again. You don't want that and I don't want to choose between friends. But I do want to get to know a little something about everybody. With that I have just finished up with my seventh and final answer.

So, would it be OK, dear Reader, to ask you to post a picture, a drawing, a sketch, a photo....of a small corner of where you do your art, write your journal, think your thoughts...a tiny glimpse of your own space. And only if you want to. After all, this is a monkey-puzzle....you always have a choice.

PS: Just a quick explanation of monkey puzzle...a multiple choice exam paper, where you simply encircle A, B, C, or D as the correct answer to the corresponding question. I grew up knowing it as monkey-puzzle.