what is the want
My dad has said on more than one occasion that his life’s ambition is to discover a dead body. He does not tramp through the woods with bloodhounds or pilot a skull down the Skuykill in search of floaters. He does not wish ill upon anyone. He simply aspires to that great American dream of stumbling upon a stranger’s corpse somewhere outdoors in the middle of the afternoon. You may cringe or turn up your nose, but know that my dad is probably hoping this will be the body of a criminal, someone involved with the mob or a smuggler of some kind. In his mind, this knave was out to unearth buried treasure. He has a price on his head. I doubt Dad cares about the media attention or about solving a cold case. I think it has more to do with adventure.
For a long time I have suspected that my mother’s great ambition is to own every basket ever produced in the United States. Sticks coming together to create containers. For her, the concept is irresistible.
What do I want from this life? That’s always been a tinge unclear. For now I’ll say I’d just like to know what that want is. So I can divert all energies toward it, full steam ahead. Or if I’m smart, I’ll bypass the want and go right for the need. But if my family’s example teaches me anything it’s that the need has very little to do with yourself. So the question becomes, who or what is the somebody else?
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