Goal of 2016? Write and get a piece published every week if possible, every month if not. And to finish my book and lose 20 pounds. If I'm going to try, I'm going to try big.
Here's to starting off strong: The Good Shepherd One Pew Up.
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Midterms
There are moments when I'd really appreciate an Interim report on my parenting skills.
Then I think what my G.P.A. might be and I'm grateful that for all known purposes, there is no public record that can be seized upon in a court of law. Unless you count this blog. Hmmmm.
I imagine a grid with each child on the left hand side listed separately as though a subject, Music, Spanish, Chemistry, English, Math, Art, PE, Religion, Social Studies and History. Naturally, I'm better at some subjects than others, and while I'm great on the homework front for several of them, the pop quizzes they keep throwing at me kill my average and sometimes I forget to study or turn in things late. I've done extra credit on every child, but the value and weight of that extra stuff varies. In some cases, it may even be sinking my cumulative average.
The end objective in parenting and education is the picture you have in your head, the vision of your child adult, active, engaged in life, emotionally stable, intellectually curious and spiritually grounded in the reality that we are not here for ourselves, and everything we say, do and don't say and don't do, reflects who we are and how much we love. But often those visions get added onto, with clattery bells and whistles of aspirations whispered, crazy dreams, ambitions that are the result of competitive parenting, pressures from the outside, and even just today I'm feeling peevish and thus persnickety about you in particular goals.
It's so easy to get sucked into the muck of silliness, where our children become the sum of our aspirations, rather than the product of our love and their labor. It's my son the doctor lawyer priest varsity football player concert pianist who is trilingual and grows heirloom tomatoes. It's my artist Senator Olympic medalist Pulitzer prize winning former CEO who travels to far away places to give important speeches on how to change the world. Condensing all they are into what they do is the fastest way to kill the joy of raising human beings.
It isn't all real, it isn't all necessary, but it's a dream scape version of our idealized offspring, fisked clean of all those foibles and flaws that get in the way, like the fact that a child can be a neat freak but not in any functional way, meaning all clothing he wears must be fresh out of the dryer, but he doesn't have to make his bed or shut his drawers. Or how she is a literal brainiac who can produce pages of complex Chemistry and mathematics equations, but fears cooking anything that doesn't come out of a toaster or microwave. Another kid can remember everything anyone ever said, unless it was in class and about a subject.
So as I consider child 1, child 2, child 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8, 9 and 10 and the fact that one went to school today with his hair doing a fair imitation of a cockatoo and another wrecked because she had a hot dog for lunch but I was out of ketchup and a third who stayed up late doing homework she should have done over spring break and a fourth bragging about how she studied for the state capital test by using the computer (I worry), and an email about a child freaking over a poster he has to do on Italy which is due tomorrow and which he brought in early but wasn't finished ---because he brought it in early, I'm thinking, okay I don't really need grades. I just need a gut check to make sure I'm not auditing any of these classes.
Then I think what my G.P.A. might be and I'm grateful that for all known purposes, there is no public record that can be seized upon in a court of law. Unless you count this blog. Hmmmm.
I imagine a grid with each child on the left hand side listed separately as though a subject, Music, Spanish, Chemistry, English, Math, Art, PE, Religion, Social Studies and History. Naturally, I'm better at some subjects than others, and while I'm great on the homework front for several of them, the pop quizzes they keep throwing at me kill my average and sometimes I forget to study or turn in things late. I've done extra credit on every child, but the value and weight of that extra stuff varies. In some cases, it may even be sinking my cumulative average.
The end objective in parenting and education is the picture you have in your head, the vision of your child adult, active, engaged in life, emotionally stable, intellectually curious and spiritually grounded in the reality that we are not here for ourselves, and everything we say, do and don't say and don't do, reflects who we are and how much we love. But often those visions get added onto, with clattery bells and whistles of aspirations whispered, crazy dreams, ambitions that are the result of competitive parenting, pressures from the outside, and even just today I'm feeling peevish and thus persnickety about you in particular goals.
It's so easy to get sucked into the muck of silliness, where our children become the sum of our aspirations, rather than the product of our love and their labor. It's my son the doctor lawyer priest varsity football player concert pianist who is trilingual and grows heirloom tomatoes. It's my artist Senator Olympic medalist Pulitzer prize winning former CEO who travels to far away places to give important speeches on how to change the world. Condensing all they are into what they do is the fastest way to kill the joy of raising human beings.
It isn't all real, it isn't all necessary, but it's a dream scape version of our idealized offspring, fisked clean of all those foibles and flaws that get in the way, like the fact that a child can be a neat freak but not in any functional way, meaning all clothing he wears must be fresh out of the dryer, but he doesn't have to make his bed or shut his drawers. Or how she is a literal brainiac who can produce pages of complex Chemistry and mathematics equations, but fears cooking anything that doesn't come out of a toaster or microwave. Another kid can remember everything anyone ever said, unless it was in class and about a subject.
So as I consider child 1, child 2, child 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8, 9 and 10 and the fact that one went to school today with his hair doing a fair imitation of a cockatoo and another wrecked because she had a hot dog for lunch but I was out of ketchup and a third who stayed up late doing homework she should have done over spring break and a fourth bragging about how she studied for the state capital test by using the computer (I worry), and an email about a child freaking over a poster he has to do on Italy which is due tomorrow and which he brought in early but wasn't finished ---because he brought it in early, I'm thinking, okay I don't really need grades. I just need a gut check to make sure I'm not auditing any of these classes.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Delusions of the Non Published Wanna-be Writer
10) I'm the next Hemingway...well, I'm more wordy than that and I tend to use ellipses...but I'm writing the next great American novel.
9) I'm going to be richer than J.K.Rowling and Stephanie Meyer put together.
8) It will be easy to find an agent. So easy, the agent will seek me out rather than the other way around.
7) Edits? What edits? The editor will understand my prose is an intentional choice of style and not the result of sloppy writing mistakes of craft.
6) Oprah will love my book. She'll restart her book of the month club just for me.
5) The book tour will be financed by the publisher and include my whole family on one of those very cool million dollar Canadian buses. The kids will love seeing the country. We'll eat well. It will garner a lot of great press and buzz.
4) The New York Times will love my book. They will say nice things about me, my books, my style and my dog if I had a dog, because they love the book.
3) My book will be a movie and it will be nominated for best adapted screen play and I will go to the Academy awards ceremony and get my picture taken with Oprah, George Clooney and any other stars that stop me and say, "Can you autograph my book? I love it and have read it over and over again." I will have writer's cramp by the end of the evening because I've signed my name so much. I will start signing books S.A. to deal with the pain but be true to the fans.
2) A prestigious university, (its English department weeping with joy), will offer me a position teaching writing and a course just on my book alone, which I will accept. They will also give me an honorary Ph.D. because of the book.
1) It should only take about a month or two to write.
Writer of the not yet finished book and this blog note: Yeah. I'm setting a time of 5:00 a.m. every day to work an hour on the Beast that is Helen. Did my time yesterday and today. Decided to have an indulgent moment of non billable writing and this is the result.
9) I'm going to be richer than J.K.Rowling and Stephanie Meyer put together.
8) It will be easy to find an agent. So easy, the agent will seek me out rather than the other way around.
7) Edits? What edits? The editor will understand my prose is an intentional choice of style and not the result of sloppy writing mistakes of craft.
6) Oprah will love my book. She'll restart her book of the month club just for me.
5) The book tour will be financed by the publisher and include my whole family on one of those very cool million dollar Canadian buses. The kids will love seeing the country. We'll eat well. It will garner a lot of great press and buzz.
4) The New York Times will love my book. They will say nice things about me, my books, my style and my dog if I had a dog, because they love the book.
3) My book will be a movie and it will be nominated for best adapted screen play and I will go to the Academy awards ceremony and get my picture taken with Oprah, George Clooney and any other stars that stop me and say, "Can you autograph my book? I love it and have read it over and over again." I will have writer's cramp by the end of the evening because I've signed my name so much. I will start signing books S.A. to deal with the pain but be true to the fans.
2) A prestigious university, (its English department weeping with joy), will offer me a position teaching writing and a course just on my book alone, which I will accept. They will also give me an honorary Ph.D. because of the book.
1) It should only take about a month or two to write.
Writer of the not yet finished book and this blog note: Yeah. I'm setting a time of 5:00 a.m. every day to work an hour on the Beast that is Helen. Did my time yesterday and today. Decided to have an indulgent moment of non billable writing and this is the result.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Turning 44
Today I'm 44. Every year I have the good fortune of having my birthday associated with a long weekend or at least a few stray fire crackers. Every year, I make goals for the coming year. I don't have a set pattern or number, but this year, I've decided to adopt 44 just for the artistic sense of the thing. Some of them might even happen with a fierce bit of doing. So here are my birthday wishes for the next 365 days.
44) Exercise every day for 30 minutes doing something!
43) Learn to appreciate wine such that I can have a marginal knowledge of it.
42) Finish learning Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
41) Make jam. (I don't know how).
40) Read a book a month.
39) Plow through the writing of the rest of Helen.
38) Pray for my family and friends more.
37) Get the back basement the way it is supposed to be.
36) Paint or draw more often.
35) Call my friends and family on a weekly basis. (I can be pretty spacy).
34) Play with my children instead of getting caught up on everything that doesn't matter.
33) See a Whale in the wild.
32) Visit some new states.
31) Catch a ball at a baseball game.
30) Float down a river.
29) Learn to play the guitar.
28) Become a lecture or Eucharistic Minister at mass.
27) Improve my writing/grammar/technical knowledge of the craft.
26) Lose 20 pounds.
25) Get more involved in community doing something. (Don't know what yet).
24) Publish more.
23) Tour the White House (I've never done it).
22) Go to Politics and Prose (bookstore with live readings, I've always wanted to go).
21) See a concert at Wolftrap.
20) Go to the Sugarloaf Craft festival (I've never been).
19) Be able to sink a ball with my break shot (right now it stinks royally).
18) Date night once every two weeks.
17) Make a habit of weekly adoration.
16) Use the good crystal and good china more often because every day is a special occasion.
15) Become syndicated. (Note to self, begin process of applying for syndication doofus).
14) Dance, sing and laugh more.
13) Take kids tubing --winter.
12) Fish this summer at least until I catch a fish.
11) Send Birthday cards and gifts out on time.
10) Ride a horse.
9) Learn how to do some basic home repair/decor work.
8) Finish a half marathon.
7) Go to an Opera so I can experience it.
6) Learn to walk on my hands. (Not everything I want to do is meaningful).
5) Learn to write with my left hand. (Not everything I want to learn is important either).
4) Collect my family's stories (Both sides and as many generational ones as possible).
3) Waste less time and want for less time.
2) Discipline myself about reading news and politics on the internet and about writing, so that it does not trump the rest of life.
1) Tell everyone I love them more often, and show it daily.
Now I'm going to blow out my candles and eat some cake. The exercise bit? I'm going to go out for a date night tonight and we're going to walk three miles.
44) Exercise every day for 30 minutes doing something!
43) Learn to appreciate wine such that I can have a marginal knowledge of it.
42) Finish learning Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
41) Make jam. (I don't know how).
40) Read a book a month.
39) Plow through the writing of the rest of Helen.
38) Pray for my family and friends more.
37) Get the back basement the way it is supposed to be.
36) Paint or draw more often.
35) Call my friends and family on a weekly basis. (I can be pretty spacy).
34) Play with my children instead of getting caught up on everything that doesn't matter.
33) See a Whale in the wild.
32) Visit some new states.
31) Catch a ball at a baseball game.
30) Float down a river.
29) Learn to play the guitar.
28) Become a lecture or Eucharistic Minister at mass.
27) Improve my writing/grammar/technical knowledge of the craft.
26) Lose 20 pounds.
25) Get more involved in community doing something. (Don't know what yet).
24) Publish more.
23) Tour the White House (I've never done it).
22) Go to Politics and Prose (bookstore with live readings, I've always wanted to go).
21) See a concert at Wolftrap.
20) Go to the Sugarloaf Craft festival (I've never been).
19) Be able to sink a ball with my break shot (right now it stinks royally).
18) Date night once every two weeks.
17) Make a habit of weekly adoration.
16) Use the good crystal and good china more often because every day is a special occasion.
15) Become syndicated. (Note to self, begin process of applying for syndication doofus).
14) Dance, sing and laugh more.
13) Take kids tubing --winter.
12) Fish this summer at least until I catch a fish.
11) Send Birthday cards and gifts out on time.
10) Ride a horse.
9) Learn how to do some basic home repair/decor work.
8) Finish a half marathon.
7) Go to an Opera so I can experience it.
6) Learn to walk on my hands. (Not everything I want to do is meaningful).
5) Learn to write with my left hand. (Not everything I want to learn is important either).
4) Collect my family's stories (Both sides and as many generational ones as possible).
3) Waste less time and want for less time.
2) Discipline myself about reading news and politics on the internet and about writing, so that it does not trump the rest of life.
1) Tell everyone I love them more often, and show it daily.
Now I'm going to blow out my candles and eat some cake. The exercise bit? I'm going to go out for a date night tonight and we're going to walk three miles.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Opening Lines
I've got 3 weeks to get ready for Erma Bombeck...here's a bit of my routine, still a work in progress...
"Hello, my name is Sherry Antonetti and I'm a mother of eight children. Now when you are a mom of that many, sometimes it's hard to transition to the adult world. So to the man at the table last night, whose wine I substituted with apple juice...and put in a sippy cup, and whose meat I cut, I'm very very sorry."
"I hadn't planned to come to this workshop, but then I had this dream. Anyone here have toddlers? Then you know who Bob the Builder is, yellow hat, blue overalls, talks with machines that are all primary colors and have googly eyes. He has a partner Wendy with a blonde pony tail and a cell phone, and they chant "Can We do it?" "Yes We Can!"
Anyway, when you have a dream about Bob and Wendy...
having a post coital conversation...
He's in a robe. She's in a button down shirt...
There's reminants of dinner on the table...maybe a fire softly flickering...
When you have THAT sort of a dream...
It's time for an intervention.
I told my husband about this dream.
Now we have a pretty good marriage, seventeen and a half years.
I told my husband about this dream, and he booked me on the next flight to Dayton.
It's been great. I've really enjoyed myself...I have all this time.
Seriously...what do you people do all day? I've brushed my teeth six times already...
just because I can.
I'm thinking of going to the gift store and buying some floss.
Yes...I'm living the dream...
Now raising eight kids is scary. Every time we have a new kid, it's scary. But you know the rule, if you want to stop being scared about something, do something even scarier...so I thought I'd try stand up comedy.
It's pretty cool.
There aren't many things at the age of 41 that one can do that are "cool" that don't involve the distinct possibility of major medical insurance being necessary...unless you count the possibility of psychological counseling for subconcious abuse of animated characters...
Parenting eight...
It's kind of like juggling...as long as you don't drop any of the balls that are in the air, you're okay. My problem? I never really learned to juggle past three...
I mean...when we had one or two, we had as my husband called it, man to man coverage.
Two kids...two adults...easy.
Three and four and five...we switched to zone defense and we bought a mini-van.
Six, Seven and Eight I haven't been on time for something since 2005. We're trying to run out the biological clock.
But it's fun...sometimes we'll go to the airport and just walk through the terminal en masse just to watch the terror on the business travelers faces....I know what you're thinking....that was you?
We get stopped and asked questions often.
people ask questions like "Don't you know how this works?"
and I say "Yeah, you see Wendy and Bob..."
or
"You don't work do you?" I'm sorry, but if the word Mom or Dad is associated with you in anyway as a moniker, you work...it's just the compensation packages that vary.
or
"I guess that's okay if you can afford them all.."
I got news for people. No one says, "According to my economic indicators, we can afford eight children so let's get to it!"
But the biggest question of all I get....and I conceed the most common, is "Why?"
Now I could get spiritual on all you people and say they're gifts from God which they are, or religious and mention that I am a practicing Catholic, which I am, but the real reason is I'm still working through some issues from middle school when I got a report card and the teacher wrote, "Sherry is Very Talented but a perpetual underachiever...."
I'm not sure but I think I showed her.
for humor that isn't always trying to overcompensate, try www.humor-blogs.com!
"Hello, my name is Sherry Antonetti and I'm a mother of eight children. Now when you are a mom of that many, sometimes it's hard to transition to the adult world. So to the man at the table last night, whose wine I substituted with apple juice...and put in a sippy cup, and whose meat I cut, I'm very very sorry."
"I hadn't planned to come to this workshop, but then I had this dream. Anyone here have toddlers? Then you know who Bob the Builder is, yellow hat, blue overalls, talks with machines that are all primary colors and have googly eyes. He has a partner Wendy with a blonde pony tail and a cell phone, and they chant "Can We do it?" "Yes We Can!"
Anyway, when you have a dream about Bob and Wendy...
having a post coital conversation...
He's in a robe. She's in a button down shirt...
There's reminants of dinner on the table...maybe a fire softly flickering...
When you have THAT sort of a dream...
It's time for an intervention.
I told my husband about this dream.
Now we have a pretty good marriage, seventeen and a half years.
I told my husband about this dream, and he booked me on the next flight to Dayton.
It's been great. I've really enjoyed myself...I have all this time.
Seriously...what do you people do all day? I've brushed my teeth six times already...
just because I can.
I'm thinking of going to the gift store and buying some floss.
Yes...I'm living the dream...
Now raising eight kids is scary. Every time we have a new kid, it's scary. But you know the rule, if you want to stop being scared about something, do something even scarier...so I thought I'd try stand up comedy.
It's pretty cool.
There aren't many things at the age of 41 that one can do that are "cool" that don't involve the distinct possibility of major medical insurance being necessary...unless you count the possibility of psychological counseling for subconcious abuse of animated characters...
Parenting eight...
It's kind of like juggling...as long as you don't drop any of the balls that are in the air, you're okay. My problem? I never really learned to juggle past three...
I mean...when we had one or two, we had as my husband called it, man to man coverage.
Two kids...two adults...easy.
Three and four and five...we switched to zone defense and we bought a mini-van.
Six, Seven and Eight I haven't been on time for something since 2005. We're trying to run out the biological clock.
But it's fun...sometimes we'll go to the airport and just walk through the terminal en masse just to watch the terror on the business travelers faces....I know what you're thinking....that was you?
We get stopped and asked questions often.
people ask questions like "Don't you know how this works?"
and I say "Yeah, you see Wendy and Bob..."
or
"You don't work do you?" I'm sorry, but if the word Mom or Dad is associated with you in anyway as a moniker, you work...it's just the compensation packages that vary.
or
"I guess that's okay if you can afford them all.."
I got news for people. No one says, "According to my economic indicators, we can afford eight children so let's get to it!"
But the biggest question of all I get....and I conceed the most common, is "Why?"
Now I could get spiritual on all you people and say they're gifts from God which they are, or religious and mention that I am a practicing Catholic, which I am, but the real reason is I'm still working through some issues from middle school when I got a report card and the teacher wrote, "Sherry is Very Talented but a perpetual underachiever...."
I'm not sure but I think I showed her.
for humor that isn't always trying to overcompensate, try www.humor-blogs.com!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
In Defense of REMing...
"Honey? It's seven-thirty, time to get up."
"Did you know that Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness?"
"No. You're awfully informed for having just woke up."
"Radio was left on last night, woke up at 2, heard the report. Couldn't sleep so it was interesting."
"Why didn't you just turn it off?"
"It was interesting. It's a nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A. It reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests."
"Really? So are you a well rested monkey?"
"No."
"So tell me more about this interesting report."
"Well, I started thinking about the commercials they'd run, inbetween change of possession on ESPN Monday Night Football. A College student wearing a HARVARD sweatshirt looks earnestly at the camera. “I was a party all night kind of guy in high school. Getting a good night’s sleep just wasn’t in the cards and my grades showed it. Now, thanks to Orexin A, I aced my SAT’s and I’m living the IVY LEAGUE life.”
"What are you talking about?..."
"Well, this could really change our society. I've been thinking about the possibilities. Night schools would flourish. Law firms would revamp themselves after hospitals, having clients served by lawyers who worked ten hour shifts managing the same patients, selling their profession with lower salaries and better hours. Early Early shows would become the venue for b-list stars to try and create followings and comebacks."
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"A little, why do you ask?"
"You're flakier than usual."
"No. I'm informed. I even remember the researcher's name. Hah! Try that gassed monkey. Dr. Michael Twery, he's the director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, said that while research into drugs for sleepiness is "very interesting," he cautioned that the long-term consequences of not sleeping were not well-known."
"Really? I'll phone him now, extreem nuttiness and oddly strong retentive recall powers abound."
"Thanks. But this medication worries me. As a devout wearer of bunny slippers, I want my bedtime! I need my winding down time to read a book, take a bath and brush my teeth. I need to stretch out on the mattress and say, “Yes…no more work for today.” And I don’t want that time to become an indulgence rather than a necessity."
"You don't own bunny slippers."
"Figure of speech love. If this medication becomes as ubiquitous as caffeine and chocolate and Viagra and allergen meds, society will expect us to put in 20 hour days. No thank you. Being able to excuse the fact that I haven’t written the Christmas cards yet or folded all the clothing on the fact that even I, need at least six to eight hours of down time to function, will become unreasonable. I don’t want another 56 hours in the week when I could be doing something."
"Me neither."
"As the medication becomes more popular, not taking it will be viewed as a form of sloth."
"Like not having a cell phone is considered being unprofessional?"
"Exactly. No one used to expect that people would be 100% reachable after hours or on vacation but now, everyone gets annoyed if you don't return an email after two hours."
"Bet it's unhealthy."
"It may not cause mood swings or have unpleasant side effects, but purposeful stillness absent being dead is something this society is rapidly losing as an experience. It’s odd, we go to work at jobs where we scarcely move, to earn money we seldom physically touch, to the gym to walk without getting anywhere, and with this new technological advance, perhaps to a bed but not perchance to sleep or dream. Not counting the time we spend stuck in traffic, where we wait to move, our lives are becoming one long sisyphian pursuit of the unreal. How much more of our lives can we find a way to render superfluous to working?"
"One would imagine that the refined versions of these same medications will eventually reach a point of being able to make sleep utterly unnecessary."
"Being on call 24-7 is one thing. Being awake 24-7 is another. I’m tired just considering the possibility."
"Me too. Are you getting up now?"
"No! In fact, in civic protest and in case this ever comes to pass, I am sleeping in today, while it's still socially acceptable. Carpe REM!"
"Alright. Alright, I'll get up and turn off the alarm."
"Did you know that Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness?"
"No. You're awfully informed for having just woke up."
"Radio was left on last night, woke up at 2, heard the report. Couldn't sleep so it was interesting."
"Why didn't you just turn it off?"
"It was interesting. It's a nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A. It reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests."
"Really? So are you a well rested monkey?"
"No."
"So tell me more about this interesting report."
"Well, I started thinking about the commercials they'd run, inbetween change of possession on ESPN Monday Night Football. A College student wearing a HARVARD sweatshirt looks earnestly at the camera. “I was a party all night kind of guy in high school. Getting a good night’s sleep just wasn’t in the cards and my grades showed it. Now, thanks to Orexin A, I aced my SAT’s and I’m living the IVY LEAGUE life.”
"What are you talking about?..."
"Well, this could really change our society. I've been thinking about the possibilities. Night schools would flourish. Law firms would revamp themselves after hospitals, having clients served by lawyers who worked ten hour shifts managing the same patients, selling their profession with lower salaries and better hours. Early Early shows would become the venue for b-list stars to try and create followings and comebacks."
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"A little, why do you ask?"
"You're flakier than usual."
"No. I'm informed. I even remember the researcher's name. Hah! Try that gassed monkey. Dr. Michael Twery, he's the director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, said that while research into drugs for sleepiness is "very interesting," he cautioned that the long-term consequences of not sleeping were not well-known."
"Really? I'll phone him now, extreem nuttiness and oddly strong retentive recall powers abound."
"Thanks. But this medication worries me. As a devout wearer of bunny slippers, I want my bedtime! I need my winding down time to read a book, take a bath and brush my teeth. I need to stretch out on the mattress and say, “Yes…no more work for today.” And I don’t want that time to become an indulgence rather than a necessity."
"You don't own bunny slippers."
"Figure of speech love. If this medication becomes as ubiquitous as caffeine and chocolate and Viagra and allergen meds, society will expect us to put in 20 hour days. No thank you. Being able to excuse the fact that I haven’t written the Christmas cards yet or folded all the clothing on the fact that even I, need at least six to eight hours of down time to function, will become unreasonable. I don’t want another 56 hours in the week when I could be doing something."
"Me neither."
"As the medication becomes more popular, not taking it will be viewed as a form of sloth."
"Like not having a cell phone is considered being unprofessional?"
"Exactly. No one used to expect that people would be 100% reachable after hours or on vacation but now, everyone gets annoyed if you don't return an email after two hours."
"Bet it's unhealthy."
"It may not cause mood swings or have unpleasant side effects, but purposeful stillness absent being dead is something this society is rapidly losing as an experience. It’s odd, we go to work at jobs where we scarcely move, to earn money we seldom physically touch, to the gym to walk without getting anywhere, and with this new technological advance, perhaps to a bed but not perchance to sleep or dream. Not counting the time we spend stuck in traffic, where we wait to move, our lives are becoming one long sisyphian pursuit of the unreal. How much more of our lives can we find a way to render superfluous to working?"
"One would imagine that the refined versions of these same medications will eventually reach a point of being able to make sleep utterly unnecessary."
"Being on call 24-7 is one thing. Being awake 24-7 is another. I’m tired just considering the possibility."
"Me too. Are you getting up now?"
"No! In fact, in civic protest and in case this ever comes to pass, I am sleeping in today, while it's still socially acceptable. Carpe REM!"
"Alright. Alright, I'll get up and turn off the alarm."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
If you sneak my work, No Chocolate for You!
Proud Member
Click Here to Join