Thoughts Arrive Like Butterflies...

I used to sleep in a bed made of the finest padding available, framed in mahogany with silk drapes cascading down between the posts. I used to sleep under a heavy down blanket that matched my pillows and both were wrapped in the same silk that wrapped my bed.  I used to sleep with women of all races and ages, our bodies intertwined as we both gently snored in the heavy, satisfied sleep of those who have just indulged in the hedonistic and lustful pleasures of the flesh.  I used to sleep indoors, where the walls of my bedroom were inside the walls of my house and I remained insulated from the cold exhaust filled air and noise of the city streets.

I used to do laundry by throwing my dirty clothes in a hamper that a service would take once a week and sort out the regular wash from the dry clean only and return it to me neatly folded and wrapped.  I used to keep my clothes in a dresser and a closet where the folded articles stayed folded in their appropriate drawers and my suits stayed finely pressed in the plastic wrap of the dry cleaners until the day of the week when I felt they deserved to be worn.

I used to shower every morning in hot water that cascaded off of my body and down the drain in the middle of my tile shower.  I used to shave every other day in order to maintain my professional appearance, yet not irritate my skin and cause unsightly discoloration or blemishes like ingrown hairs.

I used to drive a luxury car to the office during the week and my classic roadster on warm summer weekend days.  I used to have places to get to for meetings and greetings and parties and soirees.   I used to get to places on time or even early if the person I was meeting was important enough to warrant such behavior.

I used to have a job that my highly regarded degree from a prestigious college earned me and justified my salary.  I used to have a bank account with a balance that made my parents proud of the accomplishments of their child.  I used to have a pension that would guarantee my standard of living well into my twilight years.  I used to have a retirement plan that included lots of travel and settling down in a temperate, yet sunny climate.

I used to eat at fancy restaurants on the weekend nights and occasionally during the week to impress clients and investors with my generous tips and my advanced knowledge of gourmet cuisine.  I used to eat hearty home cooked meals that maintained a proper balance of health and substance to not only satisfy my cravings, but also to impress the lady I had as a guest that evening.  I used to throw away uneaten food.  I used to only push a shopping cart in a grocery store when I would load it up with the finest cuts of steak and lamb and whatever vegetables I happened to be desiring on that particular day.

I used to drink the finest wines and whiskeys that my money would afford me and maintained my knowledge as a connoisseur, to impress those around me, not merely to try and numb myself to the cold night air and the memories of a life once enjoyed.

I never used to spend so much time in the park.

Comments

[DMZ]

Reminds me of some time I spent cooking for homeless people. There was one guy who was an out of work software engineer who lost his wife, his job and his kid.

The next day I showed up to cook them dinner again and he missed the 7pm curfew by 5mins. The people running the program kicked him out on the spot. It was a sad day.

[elly]

wow,so beatiful!!the article very good!