The Unexamined Life

Daily writing prompt

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

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Great gifts? It depends on whether you catch me feeling very needy or very satisfied. One biggy tops both lists: love. With all the wandering, carrying on, and tribulations, I did not want to become an acclaimed folk singer, dynamic cult leader, Playboy, a pugnacious political battler, or a confidence man. I feel a bit sheepish to admit that I wanted love. A life other than the one I have with love? I don’t think I’d be happy.

Some of the others might have been fun to have as secondary gifts. Perhaps I could be captivating as a cult leader – look into my eyes and believe! No? I tried Playboy – trust me, it’s just not that much fun when you are juggling multiple ladies, and, oy, the supplements you have to take to…well, you know.

Now, as a politician, hmmm. Now, I hate coiffed hair, suits, and trips to the dentist to keep the gleam constant. And I play guitar; all that hand-grabbing could ruin my prospects for a recording contract. I’d fall into a stupor at campaign rallies when I was supposed to be whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Looking pugnacious at debates? Nope.

Confidence man, now there’s a trip! My “almost” friend John was a confidence man. He told me that I was a terrible liar and couldn’t survive a life of misleading, bamboozling, and taking candy from babies.

No, it has to be love. When my sweetie comes home from her night shift, I’ll pull her into my arms and thank her for saving me from a life as a politician. She’ll probably want to know what sort of weird blog post I wrote today.