| I know, gloomy title for an article. But it's true. We | | | | through despair. |
| are all on the proverbial sinking ship. We may not | | | | I was struck by the polarity of those two images |
| know when it's going to sink, but sink it will. Our days | | | | and how they symbolize two very different ways to |
| are numbered and then our number gets called and | | | | live your life. You can live your life stiff and proper, |
| we find ourselves headed to that great | | | | obsessed with appearances, measuring the value in |
| all-you-can-eat-chicken-wing-buffet in the sky. So | | | | others by the degree of china or thread count in a |
| maybe that's not exactly how you picture it, but you | | | | pillow, measuring every step as if all the world were |
| have to agree that we are living on borrowed time. I | | | | watching and you so desperately don't want to let |
| realize that's a pretty depressing statement coming | | | | them see you fall. Or you can live your life |
| from a motivational speaker. They should have me | | | | desperately happy despite your circumstances - |
| write a children's book and the last page would read, | | | | looking for every opportunity to throw out your |
| "And they all lived happily ever after - except for | | | | arms and dance. |
| Farmer Brown who got hit by a truck the next day | | | | I will admit that there are many times in my life |
| on his way to the mailbox." | | | | where I find myself upstairs - lured into that world |
| There are three scenes that I remember vividly from | | | | that tells you it's all about making it to the top of the |
| that movie "Titanic" - the scene where the musician | | | | ship. But it's not long before I find myself running |
| plays his violin as they sink - the scene where the | | | | back down to the belly of the ship to find the |
| captain chooses to die with his ship - and the earlier | | | | common folk - to link arms with the toothless guy |
| scene where they show the fancy uptight people on | | | | with the big grin - and just dance. |
| the top deck drinking fine wine and listening to | | | | We don't know when our ship will sink, only that one |
| classical music while they strain under the weight of | | | | day it will sink. Will you go down trying to grab all |
| trying to impress each other - juxtapositioned (hope | | | | your fine things? Will you be playing your violin until |
| I'm using that word right) with the penniless common | | | | the very last moment? Will you choose to go down |
| folk in the belly of the ship who are dancing arm in | | | | with your ship? Or will you spend your time dancing, |
| arm to the rich thriving beat of the fiddle's music - | | | | arm in arm with the common folk? The choice is |
| their fingers dirty, their hair in strings, their arms | | | | yours. The days are numbered. |
| thrown out in delicious abandonment as their wide | | | | See you in the belly of the ship. |
| toothless grins express the hope that carries them | | | | |
