My life is whirling by rather fast. There is much to do over the next couple weeks.
I will be heading back down to Maryland — DC for an extended break during SB. It appears that I will end up in that area after this ride ends, but nothing is ever in stone.
I spoke with my parents for the first time in some time, and my mother proposed a question to me, maybe I was expecting it maybe not.
“What do you want”?
I corrected her and said “you mean what do I want to do” and she said “no I meant what do you want. It’s a different question. Before making any decisions which will propel you into a world in which your time will not be your own and in which the objective is at the end of a long tunnel, a tunnel from which there may be no diversion or respite, you must think about not what you want to do, because you will always be able to do whatever you want to do — you know that, but you must think about what you want — it’s a different question, so think about it.”
Dear mother, always direct for the abstraction.
She leaves me as she always does with “darling, smell the roses or if you prefer with your basest of addictions, smell the coffee.”
I am merely a consequence of the seed of a gentle architect being planted in the womb of an artistic business women; that I should now have to make decisions, live a real life and figure out how “what I really want” differs from “what I want to do” hardly seems fair now does it?
Tell me people what do you want?

If only all born of such consequence had such exemplary results.
I love it when you wax poetic.
Come see me I’m sick.
What I want:
I want to travel, surfing the beaches of the word, writing poetry and lame songs while making love to beautiful, exotic, dark eyed, dark haired women from every corner of this planet.
Actually what I’ve always wanted was to do. You can tell mom I said so, too
I have no idea what I want. I’m not all that sure I want anything.
Great, now I have think deeply
What we rarely think about is that we are a direct consequence of such things, and what we become may or may not be heavily reliant on the one who planted the seed as well as the one to whom the seed was sown.
At the very least you are a consequence of a person who asks such questions and now I can see why you write the things you do.
The most my mother ever asked me back in the day was, “have you got a permanent girlfriend” or “do you have enough money for gas”.
I want:
To be at home with my family for more than three months at a time.
I have a certain sense of déjà vu all over again.
The original sense of “to want” is “to lack”. It’s a word appropriate to Darfur and the Guatemala City Dump, not to the people I know in this segment of the blogosphere.
And I confess to a certain suspicion of the motives of those who tell young people to stop and smell the roses.
But withal, there is wisdom here. Ask, perhaps, what would happen if somebody or something took “what I do” away. Some souls would be destroyed; others would carry on.
Me? I want to cut the soles off my shoes, climb a tree and learn to play the flute. No, wait, that was the pipe organ …
You are all doing a fine job so far, except OC who for some reason always ends up either in my spam or my moderation queue.
G: feel better hon I’ll pop over. I know what you want as much as you do and what you want changed from day to day. It’s always brunette with dark eyes though.
Doug: You are wide beyond you Doug years, or should I say Dog ears.
coyote: I guess I should have stated the question as it was asked, what do you want to do.
Joe: I wish for you more than three months at home with your family.
OC: Wise you, to see that not always is what one wants different from what one wants to do.
This is probably a question only a parent would ask in order to ensure that the goals do not make void the heart or the soul of the offspring.
be sure to take a lantern with you if you step into the tunnel, lovely
I want a muse to guide me, a platform to create from, people to share it with, and the ability to do it all without losing my voice.
I think it’s good advice. Let “what you want” define “what you do”.
What I want: To enjoy life.
I guess your site’s allergic to dumb Irishmen, cooper. Or it hates links. Or just disagrees with you about the advisability of marketing my blog.
My mother never ask what I wanted, unless it related to dinner or Christmas, so I am amazed to hear such stories.
What do I want? To be adopted by your parents.
” I am merely a consequence of the seed of a gentle architect being planted in the womb of an artistic business women”
That was precious, if that’s the word I’m searching for.
I want simply to be happy, golf almost year round, be happy, and die knowing that I have lived the life on want and oh yea, be happy.
No regrets.
Copied exactly what Jacob copied. It’s wonderful
But Cooper, since every consequence has a reaction, and you are a thinking person, it’s up to you
Thanks for the mother talk. Your exchanges are always worthy
though maybe rare
I simply want to write and be published for about what my blog went for in a hostile takeover at Blogshares I only was aware of because…see post…more would be nice, but.…
I want to feel the ocean breezes year round and maybe fall in love with a man at once simpler and wiser than I am.
Most of all I crave simple happiness
And I think this is the best of your blog’s new looks
I finally made it into the comments! WOOH! Wordpress would have none of me yesterday…
Love the new look(s)…
Cherish that mama of yours because she is indeed wise… finetuning the question does indeed change one’s path and her question is brilliant and dead on and worlds away from “What do you want to do?” Tell her bohemians everywhere applaud her and wish to be adopted by her!
What do I want?
I want my freedom… I want an equal and sexy partner with whom to share it all and do naughty things with and have next to me so that I don’t get bored out of my mind and who can challenge me in ways no one else can and bring out the best of me and stand by me during the “worst of me”… I want to raise my kids to be free and strong and opinionated and compassionate and to respect each other as people and to fight for it all… and I am lucky enough to have that…
Soooo.… what I want RIGHT NOW is to sell this goddamn house and goddamn car and GO HOME! FO SHO!
How’s that? Now… what do YOU want? Bohemian minds would like to know!
Nope, not back yet, working on it but I figured ‘twould be good to pop by so you could know I am alive! Ha, ha, haaaa!
And I MISS YOU!!!
Is addiction to caffeine the basest of your addictions?
I love that last paragraph and I miss you too.
I want spring, I want to live off the coast of South America, I want to to be shorter and I want to get out of here.
What do you want Cooper?
Good question.
Song above is one of those catchy songs I might find myself singing when no one is around.
I’m glad no one I know asks me questions like that.
I want to be happy, not care about money, buy a hous, plant anything, get into graduate school, get out of graduate school, start my own company and chill the fuck out.
Yea, I also want to find my way back into love.
What do you want? Be honest, no metaphors or vague poetic references . What do you want?
I know what I want and if I don’t have right now, I will get it
I want to:
Sit around listening to — the oldest version I can find of–
“Walk Like a Man”
Surf the world for two years, accompanied by my brother.
Move to coastal California.
To be happy, to be loved without conditions.
Be happy.
EW: I will take a lantern. Your goals are lofty yet simple. Now for the muse. I want one as well.
Inde: Please inde enjoy away.
oc: You are my problem child.
zydeco: There are more to be sure.
Dedd: I think they quite that job some time ago it is just those little flecks of parenthood they can’t get off their shoulders. Miss you dedd.
jacob: I wish no regrets for you and lots of golf.
pia: Are the rarest the worthiest or is it the rarity which makes them so?
NO not a simpler man …please.
Simpler is not better it is just simpler.
Miz B: She would die — if she knew her words were sitting on the internet anywhere — I’m sure. lol
I wish it all for you Bohemia the San Fran soil is calling.
What i want, is for another time, right now …ah never mind, this is a PG thirteen blog these days and ..well what I want sometimes I think is often sitting right next to me, but then again those thoughts are fleeting.
I miss you too.
kait: caffeine is probably the worse of my physical addictions yes but addictions or abductions of the paths of the mind are another story.
jake: may you have it all and you are a silly boy.
Leigh: At least you know which gives you a much greater chance of getting it now that I think of it.
Robotman: Being happy wins.
I want candy, I want candeeeee (but not Krowlie)
meow.
A good women, a large family and perpetually warm weather.