Where to begin? I mean, this is a blog, right? The American Dream. A place to voice your opinions and everyone has to listen. Or at least, you can assume they are listening and it gets you through your day. Crisis averted.
Well, since everybody is listening, reading, and waiting for me to shout out from my soapbox here, I guess I better say something pretty profound.
I really love popcorn. No, seriously, I love it.
Whew. That's better. Now to talk about something trivial. I'm a writer. At least unprofessionally-speaking. I have a big imagination, small vocabulary, and a desire to be wealthy before artistic. I'm basically the worst.
But, in my non-travels, I have stayed in my college town long after the proverbial party has ended. I work at a video store (crossing my fingers that this isn't a jinx) and nabbed a seasonal gig at a bookstore. Well, a calendar kiosk--let's be honest. Before that, I assistantly-managed an ice cream store.
So, obviously I'm a career man.
Here's a truth: if you stay in your college town after you graduate, 90% of your 'friends' are younger than you. Of course you have your older friends. But by 'have' I mean 'see occasionally when the kids are at Grandma's.' You befriend people 3, 4, 5 years younger than you. You get occupied with these people. You care about them. Sometimes you love them. But mostly, you just want them to think you are younger and hipper--more hip?--than you actually are.
But--and never, ever begin a sentence with BUT--I watch these people play out their lives as if from the future. Albeit only a few years in the future, but from the future nonetheless. They ask your advice, and you answer them honestly, and they stare at you like some sort of Oracle. Or a person trying to explain to them what an Oracle is. But they don't listen.
They can't. You can't alter the future, and you can't change the past. HG Wells figured that out ages ago. Steven Spielberg lied to us with the 'Back to the Future' trilogy. But those movies are rad so we don't blame him. Yes, even the third one with the train. You know you've watched it and will watch it again when they air it on TBS. Twice.
And--AND is also a no-no--that may be the most frustrating thing about having younger friends, and being a relative 'prophet from the future.' Nobody believes you. You are just Grandpa preaching from his rocker. You are Cassandra, cursed/blessed with visions that nobody will believe. The very act of you predicting the outcome, means you have doomed the person to fall victim to their fate.
And, really, you are 'victim' of fate. Not a lucky recipient. Not the 1oth caller. You are the prey of destiny. Nobody wants what fate has in store for them. Because it's slated. It's preordained. It is the choice that cannot be chosen. I could talk about this all day but the "Matrix" movies pretty much have it covered. Watch those. They are good. ALL of them.
What's my point here. Have to check the 'Point Rolodex.' Note to self: explain to people what a Rolodex is. Ah, here it is. If you have younger friends--even minutes younger--don't tell them how to handle a situation. Just be there on the other side of it. Not with an 'I told you so' but with a bag of popcorn.
To share.
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