I met my friend Scott
the other day
at my place.
He insisted he had to have a private “talk”.
He was concerned about something.
And when those types start
you got to let them finish
otherwise
the universe shifts a little
and things just damn well, ain’t right.
“You’re wasting your life.”
He said.
”Look at you, holy Jesus!”
”Getting up at noon
wasting the day
on the couch
drinking cheap beer
drinking cheap tequila
scribbling in your notebook
the pill bottles emptying. “
“Look at yourself, my dear friend,”
he said.
”You’re wasting your life away.
What a waste!”
I took a swig
right from the bottle
and gave him “the look.”
”So …”
I said,
”Tell me
What I should be doing
so I don’t waste my life?”
Scott gave me an intense look
as if to say,
”I’ve been waiting for you to ask that.”
He leaned in
like a preacher of old
and said,
“Get up off the goddamn couch, for one.
You’re missing the whole morning.”
“Get out there!
Volunteer at an orphanage
Help with the local food drive
Pick up trash off the street
- do something to improve this world!”
“Make some money, a lot of money.
So you can enjoy yourself,
travel, see Vegas at least,
check some things off your bucket list,
put some away for a rainy day or
your later years.”
“Learn something. Learn to play
the sitar, it’s all the rage these days.
Or at least the guitar. Come on!”
“Go to the gym. Solid yourself up.
Grab a coffee outside and talk to people.
Hell, fix up this hole you live in.
Walk the neighbor’s dogs.
Come on! Stop wasting your life!”
Now,
I’m usually a good, patient listener
and very polite too
but I just couldn’t help myself
and I suddenly
burst out laughing,
a deep, swollen, immense, tsunami
life ushered laughter
that wouldn’t stop.
Scott soon gave up
looking at me
laughing hysterically,
rollicking back n’ forth
on the couch,
tears running down my face.
I bet he’s never once
laughed like that.
What a waste!