"What life do you wish for?"
I thought for a minute. What if he were a genie? Would I know what to answer?
"I'm not sure. I have taken on too much and I am running thin in all areas. I think about living in a monastery. Monastic life appeals to me, quiet and contemplative. I think of rising in the morning and sweeping the floor, tending the garden, meditating, preparing the meals, reading, and taking long walks in the country, sleeping, knowing what it is you must do each day without distraction. But how does one quit a life? That is the part I have trouble with."
"You make it sound very romantic, but I don't think you would like a monastery. I've seen them, the tired boys looking dull and distracted, worked to the bone to rid them of desire, still doing what someone else decides. I don't think you'd like that."
"Maybe you are right. I almost lived in a big tent once, safari-style, in my buddy's backyard. I just want something simpler than what I have now."
"Well we all want that. I've never met someone who wanted a more complicated life."
He was right, of course. So how do we fuck them up so badly? We don't pay attention, distracted by the lights and the noises, driven by our own desires. Can one really live without desire? Especially once you've known the pleasures?
These are the things I think on now. Sometimes the dumbest questions can set us off. I realize, though, I wouldn't do well with three wishes.
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