\u201cLove Ya\u2019, Man!\u201d John punctuated the end of the conversation. He noticed that he liked to end every conversation on a light note \u2013 often in laughter \u2013 but always in at least minor happiness.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t getting my Bud Light!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The response was a typical one, given in the same manner as John\u2019s farewell \u2013 casual acknowledgement that carried some small token of respect while not crossing any boundaries in the mind. \u2018Funny,\u2019 John thought, \u2018that it appears that most of the characters in my life actually shy away from saying anything meaningful about any relationship, but I suppose that is a reflection of\u00a0my own indifference, or maybe it is just a reflection of\u00a0the mind\u2019s inability to express that which it doesn\u2019t fully understand, anyway.\u2019\u00a0 John had often thought that his entire world was somehow a reflection of his intention for it \u2013 every conversation a mirror of what he held in his awareness \u2013 so any \u2018boundaries\u2019 must actually be in his own mind, and any \u2018crossing the line\u2019 would necessarily be the very lines that he drew. \u2018How could it be any other way?\u2019 John mused. \u2018It is, after all, always my own interpretation of what I am hearing from the characters in my dream, and even what I hear coming from my own character in my own dream.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d give it to me if I asked for it!\u201d John called out to the retreating back. He smiled. \u2018What am I really asking for? Is the \u201cI love you\u201d a solicitation of approval from \u2018outside?\u2019 Maybe I am just attempting to push the lines in my mind around a bit, to loosen them so that I can loosen up my character \u2013 to risk going where I haven\u2019t gone before \u2013 to undo my limited experience of what \u201clove\u201d means. I suppose expressions of \u201clove\u201d on a construction site necessarily have to be limited by the environment. There are certainly some lines that I have no desire to cross! But is \u201clove\u201d to be limited by the very perception of an environment?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The phone rang. John picked it up absently, \u201cJohn, here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s the weather in Vegas? This is Catherine, of Indios, Inc.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, here, Catherine! Blue skies, bright sunshine, a light breeze – and how about in your neck of the woods?\u201d John noticed that his description of \u2018beautiful\u2019 was predicated by the environment in his mind as much as by any \u2018actual\u2019 meteorological considerations.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSame, here. Maybe spring really has sprung?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnd it\u2019s about time! I love it!\u201d John smiled at his introduction of the word, once again. \u201cHow can I be of service to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was calling to verify the shipping address.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOne Zero One Zero Eight Desert Lane, Las Vegas, Eight Nine One Two Two. Send it to my attention. What am I getting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the Operation and Maintenance manuals that were requested.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAh, yes, we\u2019ve got to have the operating manual so we know what we\u2019re starting up!\u201d John laughed lightly at the obtuse inference to something other than a \u2018How To\u2019 manual for a submersible sump pump. \u201cDo you have any O&M\u2019s for life?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHardly. But I wish I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou mean I have to keep making it up as I go along? This is getting really old!\u201d John laughed, again \u2013 partly at the truth behind his statement, partly at his own cleverness in turning something simple into a reason to laugh, partly at the acknowledgement that he was once again \u201ccrossing the lines\u201d of \u201cnormal.\u201d The voice on the other end laughed with him.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be nice if there were a manual for life? It\u2019d sure make things easier!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAh, that would take all the fun out of it! Then how would we keep our mind busy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOh, I could think of other ways to stay busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI suppose we all could! Meanwhile, let\u2019s pretend that we already DO have the manual, that it\u2019s imbedded inside us somewhere, just waiting for us to open the book and start reading!\u201d John couldn\u2019t help smiling at this idea in his mind, at his expressing this idea seemingly for himself, as some sort of reminder that there was an element of truth in it, and, of course, because, once again, he had pushed the lines of \u2018typical conversation\u2019 across some imaginary boundary towards an exchange of an idea that truly might serve them both. Then his cell phone rang.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey, gotta; go \u2013 another line is ringing! Can\u2019t wait to read the manual of life that you\u2019re sending! Love ya\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNice talking to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCall me anytime, and we\u2019ll compare notes! Bye!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John hung up the land line, and reached for his cell on the desk.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYello, this is John, how\u2019s the weather there?\u201d In John\u2019s mind, a tune from the past started playing. \u2018Everywhere I go, I always take the weather, I take the weather with me\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cLove Ya\u2019, Man!\u201d John punctuated the end of the conversation. He noticed that he liked to end every conversation on a light note \u2013 often in laughter \u2013 but always in at least minor happiness. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t getting my Bud Light!\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The response was a typical one, given in the same manner as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-8","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-livinglasvegas2008","tag-add-new-tag"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingprinciples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}