INSTANT GRATIFICATION
By Duncan
It’s got to be immediate; it can’t wait.
Death is sometimes like that, too!
Let me explain.
I consider the third bedroom to be “Holy Ground.” It’s also known as the “Man Cave,” the “Command Center,” or “My Office,” and any other manly names I can conjure up. It’s the one place in the house I call my own.
I write these short stories for my enjoyment. I can hardly wait to see what this and other stories will turn out to be. I have been asked if everything in my stories is true. Of course not. I leave out a lot. After all, this is a family-friendly kind of reading experience.
No one wants to know that I had “one” too many or came home a little too late. Writing a story is my way of living the greatest moments of my life all over again. Like everyone else (Well, almost everyone), I try to focus on the good times and ignore the challenging times.
No one wants to hear me whine and complain, poor me, poor me. And I don’t need to focus on my faults and challenges either. And so we see the smiling faces of perfect people with perfect lives on social media.
Above my desk, I have a screen that closely monitors the stock market. Yes, I play stocks from time to time. This morning, I noticed everyone was trying to guess what would happen next in the political world to make a killing in the stock market. I’m not any different. “Day Traders” are looking for Instant Gratification—how to make a quick buck. Buy low, sell high, and make money TODAY.
Humans' desire for instant gratification is rooted in survival. The fundamental things that humans need to survive are designed to provide pleasure, like food, drink, sex, sleep, or social interaction. These are the acts we indulge in when we seek instant gratification. How often have you heard, “I can hardly wait until we get there.”
How about the line for the 1947 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life?” It was called Instant Gratification even back then. (Link to video below)
I take a lot of photographs. As a wedding photographer for about ten years, I realized that the bride always wanted to know how soon the proofs would be available. (That was when I used film, and digital wasn’t around then.)
Even today, with my cell phone strapped to my hip, I can take a photograph, and the person I captured wants to see their image on my phone NOW. “Can you send that to me NOW?” Once again, this could be a form of “Instant Gratification.”
We live in a time when we expect Instant Gratification from everywhere: Fast Food Restaurants, Amazon deliveries, Plane rides to Florida, or, as might be the case today, a plane to ride. (Where is my luggage?)
Today being a Tuesday, I have a very important funeral to attend on Friday. My neighbor, Joe Allman, passed away last Thursday night. He was more than a “Drinking Buddy” he was a friend. “A Very Close and Personal Friend.”
He will be missed. The house behind me is vacant, dark, and quiet. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. As far as I am concerned, Friday (The Funeral) can take time to get here.
Lunch with Joe “was” at 1:30 every Thursday at Sahm’s.
