Sweet summer evening, sitting out on the patio of a favorite local drinking establishment with my friend, Studley McRocklegs. After the crushing heat of June and July, we’ve hit this amazing run of high-pressure blue skies, low humidity, and perfect temperatures.
We were waiting on the rest of the Tuesday night crew to show up. i tipped back in my chair, listening to the sound of a slow train rumbling by, and looking at the Charlie Brown clouds in a dusky evening sky.
My brain, in an unusual state of quiet, asked me the following question: “What’s missing?”
Studley was off in his own brain somewhere, when i tweaked him with the thought experiment.
daisyfae: OK. i’m going to ask you a question, and i want you to answer with the first thing that pops into your head. No filters. Ready?
Studley: Let ‘er rip!
daisyfae: What’s missing?
Studley: In my life?
daisyfae: What popped into your head?
Studley [tiny puffs of steam coming out of his ears]: A jumble… Lots of things…
daisyfae: Start to untangle it. What’s on top?
Studley: This sounds too new agey, but “inner peace”
daisyfae: You’re restless? Not settled?
Studley: I’m just not through it yet… Still sorting some things out.
daisyfae: What else is there?
Studley: Absolute financial security. But I guess no one has that…
daisyfae: What else?
Studley: Ummm… Better health? That’s about it, I think… Maybe a dog.
~~~~~~~~~~
The answer provided by my brain, almost instantaneously: “Nothing.”
i told him what my brain said in response… and noted that it seemed to take him awhile to come up with his list… which is probably pretty telling by itself.
So, my dear imaginary friends who live inside my laptop…
How would you answer the question: What’s missing?
Trailer Park Refugee 