that man is the man

oldie but goodie

so there he was. there we saw him. it was one afternoon in new york while we were eating an extremely late lunch, which was probably the reason why everybody was so irritable. we were supposed to have brunch; we always had brunch when we went to new yor. instead, we had walked around all day, and everyone had become grouchy from the lack of food. instead, we had settled on a cozy italian place, only i couldn't see how nice it was because i had wanted pancakes or some kind of breakfast food and if i don't get what i crave, i'll probably denouce what i end up with. well anyway, i was too busy discriminating the idea of eating italian food to notice how nice everything was. i should have noticed, though. but i guess it wasn't completely my fault, seeing how at the time i had seeing things from an optimistic point of view.

so, as i have stressed, we were eating mediocre italian food in an obscure restaurant that was sort of underground, and everyone was too grumpy to realize that something amazing would haeppen in a matter of minutes. but until that amazing event, the meal was pretty boring. it wasn't just my sulking that made it boring, but the fact that nobody was really talking. i mean i'm used to it, but it still gets to me because it makes my family seem even more dysfunctional. don't laugh or anything because i mean it. but i won't go into the history of problems and disorders that my family has generated. i know it will bore you, and the exciting part of the story is coming.

suddenly, my dad says, "look," and naturally we all turn. there is is. the man. he's rather old, i would guess around...90, but you wouldn't be able to tell from his actions. the man is skipping in the sunlight, chipper as can be. he's dressed up, too. the man is wearing a suit, except it doesn't seem like the kind of suit you'd wear to work. it seems like the kind of suit that you would wear for a stroll around the city, no wonder the man wore it. the man is really skinny, too, but he seems so vivid and strong. he seems like a happy person, like the kind of friend you would want to make. this man is just so intriguing, though, how could you not want to meet him? how could you not want to be him? i mean, i have never been so impressed by an experience that lasted for fewer than ten seconds. more words:

"he'll probably be dead in a year, and he dresses up every day. that guy lives his life to the fullest."
everybody at the table agreed with my dad.

and then it hit me: what i wanted was the man's outlook on life. but how to live like him? the secret to his happiness seems so far away, but if you think about it, the answer is so clear, and you'll find that you've known the secret all of your life: live every day as if it's your last. take advantage of the opportunities that you have, be thankful that you even have these opportunities. chances are that you're not dying, your brother doesn't have canver, you have a family, you have a house or some place to live in, and you haven't been arrested for killing your mother.
and suddenly my pasta tasted a lot better.

Reviews

[Onatah]

So firstly, I would like to say that when I saw the title I laughed! =)

"and suddenly my pasta tasted a lot better." HAHAHA

I can relate to the philosophy in this story. I have bipolar disorder, which means I go through cycles: normal, depressed, and happy. Now there is medicine that can regulate this, but I must tell you, the "happy" or "manic" stage that I go through is absolutely wonderful. It's not like "being high" but you simply enjoy life!!!! When something goes wrong, you simply think to yourself, "Okay, so I ran out of gas. It's not the end of the world. The least that can happen is someone stops to help me and I make a friend" or "Okay I have no money but since when has money made me happy? I only ever stress over it!" I wish we could all live like this... the way God intended.