Story 97: Change Is Needed

            “Sigh.  I need a change.”

            “I only have twenties right now.”

            “Not change, a change.  In my life situation.”

            “This again?”

            “Yes, this again – this forever!  I feel… stale.  Static.  I’ve gotten boring!”

            “Then get a hobby.”

            “I have lots of hobbies!  They’re so regimentally scheduled that all the fun and spontaneity have been sucked clean right out of them.”

            “Well then, what else is to be done?”

            “I don’t know.  I just feel like I do the same things over and over and over and I can’t stand it.  I wake up early, work all day, watch other people living their lives, and I’m stuck standing still as life hurtles past me at the speed of light.”

            “We did get to go on that world cruise last year, if you care to remember.”

            “Yes, that was a lark, but I was so focused on making sure that we made it properly from destination to destination that I think I forgot to have a good time.”

            “You’re hopeless.  What about all the good things you do for the community?”

            “Half of them hate me, and the other half likely will join them after I make that announcement tomorrow.”

            “Then I don’t know what else to say.  You have a loving family, you have good health, you have a splendid home, and you’re the leader of a constitutional monarchy in a relatively prosperous nation during peacetime.  What more could you ask for?”

            “I suppose I should be asking for less, then.”