Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

Fabricating lies, exploring their allure and what they have to say

Mar 01, 2025

I’ve been branching out a bit lately with writing and it’s been fun and challenging to write for different reasons through different genres. As part of that exploration, I came across a prompt that asked me to share “Three Lies/Zero truths.”

As someone who’s thrust into a state of acute social anxiety whenever we play 2 truths and a lie - or even the generic icebreaker “tell us one thing about you” - I was intrigued by an alternate option.

It was a wild exercise - but quite interesting to discover how much of a struggle it was to invent from whole cloth, three independent, separate, but still alluring fabricated truths. But once created, they weren’t abstract falsehoods, they were my little lies.

Here were the three that I came up with (and let me know if you spot the 4th).

Lie #1: Penguins have secret underground cities. They don’t waddle around aimlessly, because they’re actually scouting for places to expand their communities beneath the ice. Icebergs are just camouflaged entrances.

Lie #2: Clouds are the Earth’s diary. Every time something important happens, the Earth writes it in the sky. If you catch the right cloud formation, you might be able to read about historical events or even the Earth’s secret thoughts!

Lie #3: The smell of rain is actually the Earth’s way of resetting itself. When it rains, the Earth releases a natural compound that cleanses the atmosphere and resets everything to a neutral, calm state. That fresh, earthy smell is the Earth’s “deep breath” after a long day.

Take a moment to think about each of those. They feel good. Part of you may prefer them to our reality. As I reflected on each of them, I find it interesting how fun and exciting it was to explore what it would be like if each of these were a reality.

A secret underground penguin city hidden beneath the Antarctic ice, bustling with many penguins. The city is illuminated by glowing ice crystals, with numerous penguins walking through intricate ice tunnels, living in igloo-like homes, and engaging in various activities. Some penguins are planning expansions on icy blueprints, while others slide down frozen slides or gather in a central plaza. Icebergs above the surface act as hidden entrances, disguising the lively metropolis below.

Can you see it too? Think of how cute it would be if the Penguins one was true. Imagine hundreds of busy little penguins underneath the ice, in Frozen-esque little cities, leaving their little homes and going about to their little penguin jobs.

A surreal depiction of cloud patterns acting as Earth's diary, recording history in the sky. The clouds form scenes of historical events, wars, peace treaties, ancient civilizations, and futuristic visions. The sky is vast and filled with intricate, wispy formations resembling pages of a book, turning as the wind moves. A lone observer on a hill watches in awe as the sky writes the world's past and future.

Or the clouds being Earth’s diary. What a romantic thought! Think back to all the beautiful shapes and images twisting in the sky that you’ve seen in your life. Who wouldn’t want those to have a deeper meaning and significance? How wonderful it would be to know that like the stars, things could be written in the sky?

And the smell of rain (this picture is real, but with a filter). I love that feeling in the air! So many memories and meanings are attached to that sensory experience. Saturday mornings in Seattle, or quiet indoor pauses here in New York, the sound of traffic rushing by through puddled streets. Who’s to say that it isn’t a proactive self-cleansing act of Earth, and that the natural compound it releases is unique from others in the air.

But none of them are true. Empirically. Logically. Factually. They are false. They are illusions and mirages. They all begin with a form of “Imagine if…” the most human of creative prompts.

This week, especially, I’m thinking about all the lies. The ones I’m told by others, the ones even I tell myself. The ones that are told by leaders on a world stage. The lies about Ukraine. About history. About our reality. The lies full of hubris, arrogance, selfish intent or self serving motives.

The ways that while alluring and intriguing, lies can cause deep pain, suffering and brokenness. The trade for believing in the easy lie over sitting with the harder truth. Accepting the responsibility that comes with and because of it.

Writing this, I’m wearing a sweater with the words “Gulf of Mexico” on it. Months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined that a unanimous geographic label would become a political statement, prompting strangers to stop you in the airport to tell me “that’s not true - that’s not it’s name anymore.” Another lie.

I don’t expect we’ll ever be fully free from lies. To love, see, recognize and sit with the truth is actually far more uncommon than we may want to accept. But I hope you’ll take time today to sit with the truths in and about your life.

The best we can do is find and give to others and ourselves unconditional support in seeing and speaking truth again.

Let’s finish with some Fleetwood Mac:

If I could turn the page in time then I’d rearrange
just a day or two

But I couldn’t find a way
So I’ll settle for one day to believe in you

Tell me lies tell me sweet little lies. [tell me lies, tell me tell me lies]
Oh no-no you can’t disguise.

My Weekly Wander

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