150 Words: Brothers

The day had been long but fulfilling and we were tired with satisfied accomplishment.

He tentatively put his hand on my shoulder. “Thank you.”

I shrugged and smiled. “Hey, that’s what we do.”

“Even so, you didn’t have to work so hard.”

“That’s what brothers do for brothers. You do know how much I respect you?”

He nodded, self-consciously. We were men; we didn’t speak of such things.

I smiled and looked away. I forced myself to speak again before my instinct to censor my words kicked in. “And you know that I love you, right?”

He blushed, color spreading under his beard. We certainly didn’t speak of such things. He nodded. “Ditto,” he said finally.

I let out the breath I had been holding and laughed softly. I leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Thank you.”

We shared a laugh as I went to wash the day’s work off.

- for Steve -

Where the Heck is my Flying Car?!?

There were supposed to be flying cars.

There were supposed to be bustling cities on the Moon.

And other cool stuff like that.

For those of us of the “boomer” generation, the world of the 21^st century was supposed to be a wonderful full of things that we could indeed imagine (heck we had 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Jetsons…we knew what was coming up by the time we reached a year with a number like 2009.)

But here we are…2009, almost a tenth of the way through the 21^st century…and we ain’t not got no flying cars! What’s up with that?

What we do have are wars and the portents of wars in far-flung corners of our world. What we do have are bleak financial clouds roiling from one end of the planet to the next. What we do have are people who seem bound and determined to hold fast to that which separates us…borders, languages, slights both perceived and imagined…instead of celebrate that which makes us all part of the same terrestrial family (which, of course, is nearly everything that is really important in our existence as living beings in the grand scheme of the boundless and wondrous universe.)

That said, what we also have is a world that glides gracefully through the cosmos as surely as it as for eons…what we have is the ability to embrace hope, to celebrate love, to dream of peace…what we have is everything that makes us magically, infuriatingly, incredibly, undeniably human. What we have is the wisdom of the past, the surety of the present, and the amazing possibilities of the future.

We still have the voice of the people making their desires known. We still have the laughter of children and the sighs of lovers and the soul-affirming majesty of music created and art of all kinds shared. We still have time to dream and hope…to laugh and to cry…to make love and to make peace. We still have time to…be.

It’s 2009…and, all things considered, I think we’re getting the best part of the deal.

I still want my flying car though...