Happiness is not a far walk away
October 04, 2002 ~ 10:11 a.m.
Little Geo is a friend of mine
We�ll get some money and buy a cheap wine
Sit on the corner and have a holiday.
Hide the bottle when the cop goes by
Talk about women and lie, lie, lie
My other world is just a half-a-mile away.
� Billy Joel, �Half A Mile Away�
Sometimes, I get nostalgic for an existence which involves nothing in particular than just hanging out with a friend or two � nobody else � and letting my brain hang upside-down for a while. No worries, just to sit on the stoop with a bottle of wine or a case of beer, sharing stories with my companions and watching the clouds go by. And you wouldn�t care that the others are telling you fables, it wouldn�t matter at all. Nobody would give a shit, because you�re all telling tall tales and enjoying them. It�s a harmless form of bravado that gets you as high as the booze itself.
Sometimes, friends aren�t even necessary. You can hang loose by yourself and stare at the clouds and let your world get all pleasantly dizzy while you ply yourself with thoughts that you wouldn�t dare dream about while sober, because reality is too intrusive.
A phone rings. A co-worker is being bitchy. Your boss is quick with the criticism but not the praise. Every single face you see is sour. The weather is cold and, therefore, miserable. The subway is still hot, making you sweat into your hat. You think about all the birthdays and anniversaries and Christmas coming up and you know that you�ll soon crash from the stress all these holidays bring. You want your own holiday that only you and a couple of friends can be privy to.
The art of escapism is knowing when to get in touch with friends, when to be by yourself, when and how to please yourself and how, finally, to tell reality to go fuck itself. And only then, do you ever get the chance to live.
I�ve given everybody so much time
Now I need a moment that�s mi-yi-yine
Yeah, my other world is just a half-a-mile away.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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