It’s good to have a friend, someone with whom you can get along and share experiences.
But it can be difficult to actually find a true sidekick to match most of your likes and dislikes. However, you can always create your own version!
So if I were to have an imaginary friend I would probably call him “Joe.” He would keep me company as we drove around. He would look out my car window and watch the world go by. That would be like my old pal used to do — my faithful Irish Setter, so many years ago.
Joe and I could hang out and be good friends through the days, months and years. He would listen to my rambling thoughts and musings and mostly agree. He would not say much at all, just an occasional, “Right you are, Dan.”
So why not have a female imaginary friend, you might ask? Well it’s very simple really. They just yak and argue way too much!
I’ve been thinking way back to1961 when I came to America. There were two popular TV shows being aired here at that time. There was “Adventures in Paradise” and “Route 66.” Talk about travel, adventure and romance. Boy, was I ever impressed. Right away I was hooked!
World travel, exploration and adventure called out my name.
And if I had a million dollars then chances are it would change my life some. I might want to live in Tahiti and enjoy the peaceful Polynesian lifestyle. I would watch the pretty girls do the Tahitian hula for the tourists as I savored their smiles, laughter and the applause. I would walk along the beach in the early morning leaving my footprints in the cool moist sand.
I would listen to the seagulls cry and to the steady beat of the waves lapping the shore. And in the evening I would watch the sun set in the far-off horizon as the world turned golden. I would enjoy my golden years.
Maybe I could learn some French, well just enough to get along. That way I could order my food in the cafes and chat with the locals. I would tell them of the world as I know it beyond their shores. I would mention that they are not missing very much by living in paradise.
For a bit of fun and activity, I might collect beautiful seashells. All the walls of my little cabin would be decorated with them. And at night I would sleep peacefully, lulled by the soft sounds of the sea.
If I could rewind and redo this lifetime of mine I would make a few changes. I would stretch out and prolong my childhood.
Those winter months would need to be warmed up some. The summer days I would savor as long as possible. And, you know, while I’m creating this fantasy, I would just stay young, free and in love forever!
Sadly though, a lifetime is not like a movie you can cut, splice and edit. You can not recast roles and add in beautiful background music and extra special scenes.
You can’t go back and make it all more dramatic and exciting, except maybe in your imagination.
However, your future is still an unwritten script. There is a fair chance that you and I could, if we wished to, break out of fixed ideas and patterns. The future is not all a preordained blueprint of your destiny set in concrete — that is unless you see it as such.
So wouldn’t you like to explore Argentina or maybe go to Spain? Perhaps you could explore the Scottish Highlands and listen to the bagpipes play. Then again, the Bahamas are lovely this time of year.
Why not toss a dart at a map of the globe and wherever it strikes, if it’s on dry land, then that’s your next destination!
Really, when you think about it, the possibilities are endless.
So all right then. I’m the producer. I’m the director of this show. Get ready for lights-camera-action. Just let me touch up this script a bit first. After all, you know I want everything to be exciting, fun and beautiful.
Ain’t that right, Joe?
Dan O’Connor can be reached at danhughoconnor@gmail.com.