THE PARABLE ABOUT THE GUY WHO MET THE PARAGON

It's rough writing about the ways of the world right now when you're not out in the world everyday (unless you rely on memory and pretend it's up-to-the-minute.) This is just what happened to this guy who got acquainted with a paragon. Now you're probably asking "a paragon of WHAT?" but he was just a perfect example. Period. And because he was a paragon he asked this guy who we're calling this guy "what's the one thing about life that you want to share with me?" The guy didn't know he was talking to a paragon so he said "Love". Love? Hm-m-m-m. That's the ONE thing . . Hm-m-m-m. Yes, the guy reiterated, Love. But everyone knows Love, the paragon retorted, I'm asking for the ONE thing in life that I don't already know about that you want to share with me. Ah, the guy exhaled in a guttural fashion, I have this for you: Pretend when you're taking a shower that the water in your face is the opening to a place you've already been to but this time you're Joe DiMaggio before he became Mr. Coffee and when kids and men come up to you for an autograph, you reach in the inside pocket of your jacket and take out a novelty pen that's Marilyn in a red bathing suit and before signing your name, bring the pen to your lips and say "Tell them about Arthur Miller" then pause. The paragon asked, then what? The guy kept pausing. Then what? then what? . . .The guy looked right into the paragon's eyes and broke into "I wanna be loved by you, just you and nobody else but you" in Betty Boop's voice. The paragon, perplexed, asked WTF? And the guy turned and walked away saying, "if you repeat this to the next person who you just want to ask a question about life but instead do this, it will make sense. I'm heading out now to tell this parable to the first stranger I meet.