Life, chapter 23

"Listen to this," Lana said: "Living in a couple is like a game with teams of two people. One participant gets a deck of cards, the other a marble. They will use these tools to build a house of cards. I could work on the phrasing, but it's a powerful metaphor, don't you think?"

Francis sighed. "Darling, isn't it time to stop this writing nonsense? We would all be much better off if you went back to whatever you did in that office."

K

Karl was as surprised as his colleagues. Was that his voice, were those his words, was that what he really believed?

- Home is where you go when you cannot postpone it any longer.

What a terrible blunder, what a strange thing to say over coffee a normal Tuesday afternoon. Karl tried to cover it up; he smiled like a very tired cheerleader and continued:

- In a manner of speaking of course, what I meant was that you can't expect to live your live in a sheltered, protected area, sometimes you have to face reality.

That explanation did not really improve things.


That night, when Karl again woke up, next to his sleeping wife, drenched with sweat in the dark dog hours, and knew that he couldn't stand it anymore, he quietly slipped out of the bed, took his wallet and his badge and left. Karl went home to the office.

Just a moment!

Johanna had a tiny problem with her attention span. She was unable to do anything - including sunbathing in her garden - for longer periods than three and a half minutes. Then she had to get up, water plants, have a drink, make a phonecall, send a letter, before she could take a new little break in the sun.
Johanna's life was spent in between projects. She started perceiving this as a problem.

One day Johanna realised that once our short lives are over, we will all be dead for a very long time, no interruptions. She wondered how she would be able to cope with that.

Introduction (dance floor remix)

I used to be blonder. I used to have more fun. Is there something you could do about that?

Indig Tips (8)

If you are fed up with commercial messages invading your Freedom of Thought, try using your Freedom of Speech. Every time a company invites you to buy something, make sure that you give feedback. The following examples could be helpful.

Dear Carrefour, thank you for informing me about your special reductions on meat, vegetables and garden furniture this week (see enclosed advertisement). However, I regret to inform you that due to other commitments I will not be able to take advantage of your offer. Yours sincerely, xxx

Dear Coca Cola, thank you for informing me about the benefits of drinking coca cola. However, for ideological and social reasons I have decided to rely on other beverages. Yours sincerely, xxx

It could be cheaper to do this using e-mail rather than letters. It could be practical to open a special e-mail account for this kind of correspondence. It could be fun to start straight away.