On the Lighter Side of Life

This is an exchange between my boss and I. Fun stuff, I say, fun stuff.

To My Dear Friend Jeff Loop,

It was a dark and stormy night. After driving many miles through rain, lightning and thunder, I arrived at my humble abode. Exhausted as I was after such an arduous journey, I could barely make it into my house. I was very happy to see my beautiful wife and son and greeted each of them with a kiss and long hug. They each looked at me with a smile and I knew I was truly happy to be home.

I began my daily ritual of taking off my jacket, putting my coffee mugs into the dish washer and emptying my pockets. It was at this moment that I realized that I had made a very grave error. In the left front pocket of my pants, I found an item that did not belong to me. For me to have taken item so valuable, so profound, so exquisite is beyond appalling. I regret to inform you that I had inadvertently stolen you little, black Bic lighter.

For this, I am truly sorry. I hope that you have it in your large and generous soul to forgive me for this egregious transgression.

Humbly,
Jeremy Hoglund III, Esquire

Here is my response...

Gentle soul be he who remembers the little incidents and accidents in the goings on of one's own existence.

It was the eve of Easter, a time of celebration and remembrance for many of those that co-inhabit this pale blue dot, a time best spent with the one's that we love and love us (unconditionally). The beastly winds of March had given way to the warm and gentle embraces of April, she does have a little mischievous side to her, and the morn had chuckled at my awakening (I think it had something to do with the left side of my head looking like it had encountered an F4 hurricane). Never, upon my rising, did I ever feel as though something was missing in my life. Loving and supportive family, check. Good friends and co-workers, check. Shelter, food and music, check. So, it came as quite a shock to find out that something was missing from my life and that you, gentle soul, found it in your generous heart to return this to me.

Mind you, this object, this ignition source, is not what was returned. For, you see, the little black plastic object is just a drifter, a vagabond that has no home, no owner and is destined to travel about this world as free as a bird (cliché). No, what was returned to me was the faith in the human species and that one so touches another as to spread the joys of humanity. We have lost sight of the intimacy of humor and the immediacy of the natural reactions that it induces in us. Too often, our lives blur as we focus on the things that we don't have and the troubles that lie in wait for us. A little laughter makes that go away, if only for a moment or two.

So, before I prattle on even more, I thought that I would wrap this up by quoting one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, “Hamlet”.

Hamlet to Horatio, “Thank you for giving my fucking lighter back!”