I told a lie today. An outright lie, not just a twist of the truth or an omission. I was asked if I’d ever been to America. Althought I’ve been to the Romantic Times Convention twice, visiting LA and Chicago, I said no.

You see I have a day job and at that day job nobody knows anything about this Sami Lee thing that I do. For reasons convoluted enough that I won’t go into them here, the day job people becoming aware of the night job could cause all sorts of implosions I have no intention of dealing with if I can avoid it. So, for the past two years when I’ve traveled to the US, I’ve been ‘in Sydney’.

So am I a bad person? Lying on a regular basis is not generally considered to be a good quality. Neither is the ability to do it with alacrity considered a positive attribute in an individual. And I can lie pretty well without the blushing or stammering that might ordinarily accompany a dose of guilt, which I think means I’m good at it. I’ve had years of practice, you see. I used to lie to get into nightclubs when I was underage. I once had a job that required me to daily reinvent that old corker ‘the cheque’s in the mail’. I tell my kids there’s a tooth fairy and make up stuff for a living (at the non day job :)). So yes, I can tell a convincing fib when required.

For the record I don’t think I am a bad person, but I am pragmatic. I do what’s required to make my way through life, and sometimes that does mean putting the truth aside in favor of a lie. I’ve lied to protect my job, as mentioned. I’ve lied to protect friends, to save from hurting someone’s feelings. Aside from one shameful incident for which I will not provide details, I’ve never lied to intentionally hurt another person. I’m human. I’m imperfect. But I try to be good. When it suits me, anyway :).

So, what are the lies you tell—big or small? Or are you an ‘honesty is always the best policy’ person? And how come there’s such a thing as a white lie and not a black lie? What’s with that?

Sami

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