PROMPT: A Year Ago

Daily writing prompt
Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

Definitely not. There are – literally – robots on the streets where I am today. There were cows on the streets where I was a year ago.

I don’t find picturing the future to be a productive endeavor. A year from now the robot wave will have hit Bangalore and cattle in the streets may be a fixture of Atlanta (because raising one’s own cow will be the only way to afford beef.) [Not to mention, there’s a significant chance that I’ll be in neither of those places.]

PROMPT: Skills or Lessons

Daily writing prompt
What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

Shopping for crazy. I’ve become aware that – during some time periods, it’s mandated that there be one bat-shit insane person per subway car — and that, if there are more than that, they need to spread out evenly and give the stage to one among them — a Car Crazy Champion, if you will. After riding in a car with a urine-drenched crack addict who paced the length of the car eating (and sloshing) some pungent food from a Styrofoam container, I realized I should have been in the next car with the very nicely dressed and clean-cut man in what seemed to be a self-created and self-imposed uniform reading aloud from the Bible. I no longer concern myself with what car gets me closest to the appropriate exit, rather I shop around for the least objectionable crazy.

PROMPT: Cities

Daily writing prompt
What cities do you want to visit?

As many of the ones that aren’t war-torn or underwater as I possibly can.

PROMPT: First Day

Daily writing prompt
Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

Today is the first day of the rest of this week.

PROMPT: Animals

Daily writing prompt
Do you ever see wild animals?

Sure, I just saw a bird fly past my window, and I’m fairly certain that it wasn’t domesticated.

PROMPT: Five Things

Daily writing prompt
Share five things you’re good at.
1.) Remaining incognito. (I conceal my identity by being no one of interest.)

2.) Calling animals. (They do not come, but I maintain that I'm effective at getting their attention. They give perplexed looks and seem to be thinking, "Why is that dumb-ass human making strange noises?")

3.) Slipping on ice. (It's effortless to me.)

4.) Conveying an air of indifference. (At any given moment, you'd probably conclude that I don't give a shit.)

5.) Eating rotisserie chicken. (It's not pleasant to watch, but I leave not a scrap of meat. It's like a sun-bleached skeleton when I'm done with it.)

PROMPT: Night or Morning

Daily writing prompt
Are you more of a night or morning person?

Morning. Whether I want to be or not.

PROMPT: Wear

Daily writing prompt
What are your two favorite things to wear?

A Jetpack and Rollerblades.

PROMPT: Hardest Decision

Daily writing prompt
What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?

Whether or not to watch Sophie’s Choice. Because it might diminish the difficulty of all future choices.

PROMPT: Didn’t Need Sleep

Daily writing prompt
If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

I assume just a little more of all the things I already do, with a substantial amount of that time being spent in rest.

The thought, “If I didn’t have to rest I could do so much more” is one of modern life’s most cancerous modes of thinking.

Didn’t we all learn during the pandemic that when commutes and other travel / in-person time obligations go away, life fluidly swells to fill the void. Like having to learn Zoom, etc.

Life gives no free lunches, learn to live with it.