This probably isn't front page news or worthy of a "prime" spot on such coveted real estate such as "mikevincenti.com", but... I was at The Velvet Lounge updating their website the other day when I took a short break and visited the lavatory. I usually don't make small talk with the "others" that I stand beside while doing my business but... I couldn't help it in this instance. With one hand, he had the situation under control. With the other hand, he was texting. I couldn't help it. With lack of anything better to say while in front of a urinal, I said "wow, that's talent!" He chuckled and we both agreed that we live in a different time. Yeah. I guess we do.
2011 has begun a bit lack luster for me. It not only has warped my perception of reality- it has probably sobered me from months, if not years, of blind faith. Let this be a lesson to... me. You cannot escape the IRS. Loans do not disappear without serious consequence, beloved pets inevitably suffer before your own demise, and loved ones can quickly become mere friends. It's amazing what just one year can hold. I am certainly living in a different time- one year ago was so much better. Obviously, the good thing is that there remains plenty of room for things to get better. And in the broader scope of things, I am too often reminded that greater misfortune is always a possibility.
Today, my comrade at work had engaged me in deep political discussion. As we took stabs at each others points of view and opinions on how the world could be better, he made clear to me how my opinion lacked common sense. Or rather, he elucidated the fact that my own tax plan was flawed. Of course, in the heat of the moment, I took it to heart. But when he asked if this conversation was ok to have, (probably recognizing my anguish), I quickly readjusted my attitude because I remembered that I was at work- that I didn't have to have a perfect plan; that I didn't need to have a fully flushed out and workable plan. Bottom line- he didn't have anything more to offer either (in my own opinion). Thankfully, we both appreciated the dialogue more than the result and neither of us expected to convince the other or "win" the argument. It was, rather, a simple exchange of ideas working themselves out during a moment of downtime during the day. It was a work in progress; or a fine example of "thesis > antithesis > synthesis" at play. As the elevator doors closed in front of him, the conversation ended and neither of us solved the tax dilemma that faces America. However, we both agreed that there is plenty of incentive to move out of the country if we focus our attention on politics. We just couldn't decide where. An Epicurean lifestyle is a wonderful lifestyle in almost any political climate. So likely, we might as well remain close to friends and family and surrender to our garden and speak only lightly of economy and national priority.