360
Will you keep trying to locate images from the past?
They were ghosts then but they were familiar ghosts.
361
It’s now sunset. Do you remember the sunrise?
Yes, and it’s somewhere back in the ‘mourning’.
362
Is sitting in the rain good for the soul?
The soul is indifferent to climate.
363
You never seem to be at a loss for words.
In a universe of infinite possibilities, nothing is truly ever lost.
364
Your calm belies the situation.
I have decided to negate reality and deny the impending crisis. Where there is nothingness, there is calm.
But how can you live without substance?
I pretend I’m like everyone else.
365
Those of us who know you best will be here until the end.
I agree, but only because such action requires no patience.
366
How do you explain your momentary lack of judgment?
It’s a corollary of being human.
Is that an excuse?
It’s the greatest excuse of all.
367
Do you ever spend any time watching children play in the park?
It's been a long time.
Was the last time when you were with your own children?
Yes, that seems about right.
And now you wait for your own children to have children before you do it again?
I suppose so.
How long will that be?
Maybe ten years, more or less.
What if you die before then? Who will watch the children?
Must someone watch them?
Yes, else they may lose their way.
Is that what happens to us?
It's obvious, isn't it?
It wasn't, but suddenly it is.
368
My friend is your neighbor.
You mean Barnabas?
No.
Constance Marie?
No.
Who then?
It's the one you don't know.
Only one?
It's the one that counts.
369
No appetite is too large, no stomach is too small.
You lost me on that one.
I'm thinking about the human capacity for self-delusion.
It really is voracious.
More like a dream forgotten; a life somewhat pointless and obscure.
I'm reminded of a time when all was vacant and without light.
If one's memories were all so good.
370
People who live on the edge of town are often less edgy.
It's calmer on the edge?
Not only calmer but also less real.
What do you mean less real?
I simply mean that calmness can be seductive.
We fall for a fantasy?
Yes, that's it.
371
When was war ever necessary?
Never, I suppose.
Perhaps there's no such thing as individual wars; only never-ending battles.
I don't like the sound of never-ending.
Does 'never-ending so far' sound better?
It does. I think I can go to sleep now.
372
How fast is fast?
How about twenty billion times the speed of light.
Darn, that is fast.
At that speed, how far can you go in a lifetime?
The end of the universe?
Sorry, you'd still be stuck somewhere near the middle.
Oh, well, I guess I need to learn to like it here.
373
I've forgotten what it's like to sleep through the night.
I know what you mean. Whether it's indigestion, bladder pressure, or a bad dream, sleeping all the way through the night just doesn't seem to happen much anymore.
Sometimes I wonder just what is sleep.
A form of unconsciousness?
It also might be a return.
To where?
I don't know. I always wake up before I get there.
374
Let's go to the Farmer's Market.
Buy some fruits and vegetables?
No. Just to wander about.
Any particular reason?
The reason will become clear after we are there.
Another one of your free lessons?
Yes, but this one will smell better.
375
Why do people sometime lose their political will to exist?
It all has to do with bananas.
You mean that yellow-skinned, tropical fruit, oblong and curvy?
Yes, but they are actually very much green before the ripening process begins.
What's political about bananas?
They always vote yes.
376
They say the end of the era of oil is near.
And at last, the dinosaurs will truly be extinct.
377
The high road or the low road?
Depends on where I'm going.
378
How do you welcome in the New Year?
With trepidation and beer.
Why not more optimism?
I don't know. Just a vague feeling of imminent doom.
Well, it hasn't happened yet.
Give it time.
379
It's been a well-spent day.
How so?
I was able to surround myself with breathable air.
Sounds like an unique experience.
It was more than unique. The day had elements of ambiguity intermingled with an aroma of just ground coffee beans.
Robusta or Arabica?
Arabica, of course.
GO to UNIt XX
