A Dialogue...

"Hi"
"Do I know you?"
"No, that's why I came over here, to introduce myself"
"Well congratulations, you've achieved so much"
"That's one way to put. My name is Jonas."
"That's an odd name."
"That's what I told my parents - they wouldn't change it"
"They sound like great parents"
"They aren't"
"I was being sarcastic"
"I know"
"Than why'd you say "they aren't" as if you were telling me something I didn't know?"
"Well, my parents could've been good parents, just a little... out there"
"Oh. Well, I see you're fairly good at carrying an unwanted conversation, but I'm sorry to say that it will never amount to anything. No matter what."
"What if this conversation led to me taking you out to dinner sometime?"
"That would also amount to nothing, no matter what, because even if you took me out to dinner and I enjoyed it, and we went out another, and another, and another time, and so on until we got married, it would still amount to nothing."
"How would that amount to nothing? we would have enjoyed spending time together, and going places, and spending our lives together. How's that nothing?"
"No, you don't understand. Even if we did all those things, one day we'd both die, no ifs ands or buts. Then our accomplishments, actions and ourselves will slowly fade from the memories of those who knew us, until they either forget or die. Eventually we would be completely forgotten, and it would be as if we had never existed at all."
"Yeah... but we would have existed whether the people who come after us know it or not."
"So?"
"So, we could do great things, fun things, enjoyable things. We could watch sunsets, go to amusement parks, see movies, have dinners at nice restaurants; we could make the most of our lives, we could make something wonderful of our finite existence. And so what if all we leave behind is a couple of descendants and bones in the ground. We'll have had a good time doing it, and besides, it's not like we're the only ones who are going to die. Every single person who has and who will ever live has to deal with this, whether they know it or not, And well, frankly, one day humanity as a whole will suffer the same fate, and all it's accomplishments and doings will slowly erode, or collapse, until nothing is left and it it will be as if humanity never even existed at all... um... are you crying?"
"Sorry... I just never- never thought about life that way... That whole speech, it was- was-"
"Beautiful? inspiring? amazing? enlightening? truthful?"
"All of those, now sorry, my mascara's running, I've got to go get cleaned up."
"Oh, no worries. by the way, I never got your name."
"It's Amy"

Christmas time

"Lets put these ones at the bottom of the tree, because they won't break if they get knocked off by the dog."

"You're right, but those aren't the plastic bulbs."

"Yeah they are."

"No they aren't. These aren't the plastic bulbs. I'd drop this one to prove my point, but I won't, because I know It'll break."

"OK, than I'll drop it, and prove mine."

So I hand the bulb to my little sister, and she dangles it over the floor. Before dropping it, she lowers the bulb to about knee level. You'd think that it wouldn't break even if it was glass, but on a tile floor...

That familiar high pitched shattering sound accompanies the view of bulb pieces flying across the floor. I laugh, even though it's not all that hilarious now that I think about it.

"I told ya"

I tell her to get the broom and dust pan, because I'm not cleaning it up, and besides, there are a bunch of little glass shards all around my feet. She's wearing slippers, I'm in socks.

It's kind of weird, how we're still decorating a christmas tree when the youngest member of the family is fifteen and the rest are technically adults... You'd think we would have grown out of it, and instead of participating in christmas festivities we would just buy each other presents... especially since we're all at  the age where we enjoy getting clothes for christmas.