Hope and Wait

 My mother told me “there is always something to write about.”

She’s not a writer herself, but she encourages my writing. I think this is just so she has something to read. But really, she is a big reader. And writing and reading go hand in hand. For there to be something to read, somebody has to write. So I posit that the writers came first, as in the instance of the chicken and the egg. Books didn’t fall out of the sky (and if they did I’m sure one would hit me on the head (it would probably be War and Peace)).

I invited my brother over for a kitten chow session. We put food out and wait for them to eat, kind of like kitten fishing. I thought he could get a good look at these precious things I’ve been raving about. Out of five, only two came out, and he tried to chase them down, which scared them (I think it was an irresistible impulse). And then it rained. Chow sesh over.

Sometimes people go whale watching and there are no whales. This is life. 

The Rolling Stones say you can’t always get what you want. 

And that really bugs the shit out of me. Literally, when I hear that song, lovely melody and all, I kinda cringe. I think it’s aimed directly at me.

But then I lighten up because after all you get what you need. And that’s more important.

I tried to buy fake nails at dollar tree, but they didn’t have any nail glue. Well, you can’t put the nails on without the glue. I just love the feel of the nails, the clickity fanciness of them. But I’m trying to save money and trying not to wear them. So I took it as a sign. Sometimes, if you ask god to remove temptation, he will.

Sometimes, we get what we want, and sometimes we lose $3 on a scratch off. Some losses are expected. We can deal with that. We can take risks with the highest hopes knowing we are that doomed underdog. 

I have a little sign that says “Hope makes all things work.” I don’t know about all things, as in I could hope myself into winning solitaire. But I always start the game with that innocent rush of hope. Hope is good. We hope tomorrow is better. We hope we get a nice sunset. We hope dinner is good and we get enough sleep.

And really that’s all we need. We don’t need the lottery and the fake nails. But you got to live a little. 

And I hope I can keep using life to write, because truly there is always something to write about, even when there’s nothing. 

(And as the Red Hot Chili Peppers would say: Readers, just keep reading!)

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