from the bad (illness, ill fortune, death) to the good (finding happiness, friendship, love). Oftentimes Martin appeared in the visions of her fate. He was who she imagined being with after her heart had been broken and she was single once again. The daydreams pretty much went the same way: at first they would take it slow. A date here and there. Then she would catch feelings first, and he would follow soon afterwards. They would fall madly in love, maybe even get married — Sally hasn’t come to a firm conclusion about that just yet. She just got divorced and was skittish about imagining marriage again, but she knew she could easily change her mind if the right guy came along. A guy like Martin. Of course what Sally didn’t know was that Martin already had a girlfriend. And once she discovered this piece of information, she would have to find a new guy to mentally construct a future with. IF A PERSON PITIES HIMSELF IN A FOREST AND NO ONE IS AROUND, DOES ANYONE GIVE A SHIT? Jake always wanted to live in the woods — far away from all the people that made his life so miserable. He pictured a remote log cabin where he could live a life of quiet desperation. He wanted to be able to pity himself without anyone asking what was wrong. He yearned to be sad and anonymous, and he figured it would be much easier to do that in the forest. One night when he was sitting at the table in his cramped studio apartment, he figured he would make a list of the people who would miss him. But he couldn’t come up with a single name. He was an only child, his mom had passed away years ago, and his dad had dementia and didn’t recognize him anymore. All his past lovers jilted him at around the two-year mark in their respective relationships. He did have a rapport with the guy at the coffee shop, but that was only because he tipped well. He wanted to be forgotten, but he already was. So he figured that if only the trees and squirrels witnessed his sadness, he could live out the rest of his years without bothering any human or having another human bother him. The only problem was that he fucking hated the woods almost as much as he hated people. So yeah, he was in a real pickle. I NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT DESPITE EVERYTHING, I AM OKAY My friend Donna is not having a good time. I sent her a text inquiring about her mental state, and she responded: “These days, I have to dig deep in the far reaches of my mind to find any sort of hope. And when I do, it’s not very bright; it’s more like a flicker. But it is there. I don’t think my future is going to be great, but I can see myself finding happiness again at some point. It may take months or even years, but I do believe it will happen. I’m sorry if I’ve been difficult to hang out with recently, but life has not been cooperating with me very much. And it’s hard not to take that personally. That said, things will get better. Not because they have to, but because I haven’t given up. And I want you to know that: I haven’t given up. And I won’t give up as long as I have friends like you. To quote the Golden Girls theme song, ‘Thank you for being a friend.’ You have made a huge difference, and I will never forget that.” It wasn’t the first time Donna made me cry, and it probably won’t be the last. But just to let you know, she hasn’t been difficult to hang out with at all. Sure she’s been sad, but being there for someone when they need a friend is a true honor. It imparts a sense of purpose. And it’s one of the times that life is unmistakably beautiful. And I think we could all use more beauty in our lives. 21
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