Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bright Ideas
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it."
-Albert Einstein
I always think that mishearings are a fountain of creativity.
Poor Spouse is feeling most miserable with a cold for the last few days and had to take today and yesterday off work.
His voice is not quite his own and yesterday afternoon as he was sitting up and struggling to read a magazine article out loud to me, I could not help but ponder.
It was a technical magazine he was browsing through and from under the comfort of three layers of bedding, Spouse showed me a picture of an elaborate meal with prestigious guests and esteemed speakers, and muttered something about "an International Debtor Symposium."
I thought about that, and marvelled a bit at the ingenuity and craftiness of getting a lot of debtors into one building.
Imagine it, if you will: luring all the people in the world who were overdue in returning money to anybody- persuading them to fly to a certain country, then drawing them into a great big hall under the pretence of feeding them- then locking the doors, crossing one's collective arms and firmly but politely demanding one's payment.
What a fine idea.
Where could the debtors run to? What excuses could they possibly use?
A good deal of paperwork would quickly be avoided, debtors would exit as free, unburdened souls and a lot of sleepless nights would soon evaporate for those on both sides of the thorny monetary issue.
Presumably not having got the reaction he had hoped for, Spouse diluted my daydream and told me that he had actually said "International Radar Symposium."
Well, then. It was just a thought.
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9 comments:
you have painted some amusing images with words.
hope spouse gets well soon!
you are so funny--what a great image!
Polona, thank you. He's a lot better today.
Beth, we got quite a laugh out of it- and he was supposed to be the one with feverish ears ;)
As a serious debtor (bankrupt construction business), the unburdening would be an incredible gift. However, I would have written those checks to all those people on my own, if there had been money in the bank to back them up. When the barrel is empty, no amount of demands can make there be more than a slow trickle of $50 here and $50 there ad infinitum till the debts are paid.
But I certainly like the idea and the image! Perhaps that wand that could get us all into that room could also fill the barrel?!!!
Kip, yes, if only things were that easy. In real life things don't work out the way we'd like them but we can dream...
What a really interesting post. My imagination ran wild as I read your ideas / thoughts.
Thanks, Barb. Imagination is always a strange thing, isn't it? You never know what direction it will wander in.
I really enjoyed this :)
Hele, thank you :) I'm glad you liked it.
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