s t r e a m # 5 0
Consider the childhood imaginary friend. It is an accepted form of psychosis, is it not? Perhaps “psychosis” isn’t the best word for it, but you get my meaning. As a child, you might’ve been encouraged to conjure up a hallucinated companion. As an adult, however, such imaginative exercises are not encouraged. That said, many DO encourage the practice of “projecting” some desired outcome (Winning The Game, Acing The Interview, Boarding The Plane, etcetera). So, it struck me – just yesterday – that I still have an imaginary friend of a sort. It’s a coping mechanism. It’s a way of dealing with my loneliness. And it’s based on you. (Assuming you’re reading this.) Jenny says to Forest Gump, “I wish I could’ve been there with you.” Forest replies, “You were.” And I know what he means. So now what? Now, perhaps, I’ll be able to, in effect, put faux-you to bed. Once you know what something is, you can put it in its place. Physically as well as mentally. Well, when you come right down to it, it...