if you could have one obtainment...

i have a question for all of you:

if you could obtain one quality, one desire, one object - whether to better yourself or not - what would it be? it could be a material possession (a new car), a cerebral gain (a better understanding of math or science), a career accomplishment (a job promotion or better grades in school), an emotional goal (you wish you were less sensitive or had better control of your emotions), a physical achievement (better health or lose weight), a financial gain (pay off all your debts or a million dollars) - anything that you want.

i would unquestionably choose to have a gift for being effortlessly witty, or at least to be alot more effortlessly witty than i am. all of my favorite figures - whether it be a musician, a filmmaker, a historical figure, whatever - are known for their quick, irreverent wit: john lennon, oscar wilde, morrissey, woody allen, elvis costello, bob dylan. hell, my girlfriend is even incredibly witty; i am extremely attracted to wit in all forms, in people, in art, in anything. there's no possible gift as insurmountable, propitious or fruitful as the gift of words; as the old saying goes, "the pen is mightier than the sword." with a few strokes of your pen, or a spontaneously caustic remark, you can completely rewrite or change history, do irreparable damage to someone's reputation, career & life, or make a star out of yourself or someone else overnight.

what about everyone else? what would your one obtainment be?

I'm witty enough - but what I want is practically everything you mentioned! Well, I have the car I like, don't need a new one - but everything else I could use!

But if I had to choose only ONE thing...

Hmm, money may or may not buy happiness, but at least it could buy most of your examples... so perhaps that's what I'd pick. Money (lots of it) is a sure-fire way to look good, sound good, learn things, fix things (about yourself), get possessions you want/need, get a girl/boy (at least for the night ), or most anything else on that list -- so that's a good start One way to build at least a shallow sense of confidence...

Money may not buy you love, but it's sure helpful w/ everything else!

Hey, JG, how about a sense of direction??

i'd be willing to wager alot that geoffy was a bit tipsy when he bumbled out the above...

To win the lottery and move to Manhatten.

I want to use the Force.

I think I've wanted that since I was four. I also wanted to convince my dad that they were action figures, not dolls, and that Chewie was a wookie, not an ape-bear.

Good times.

Should that one thing be a practically feasible choice or can it be some impossible choice? If you allow such possibilites, I would like to be 5 years younger

Go back 20 years, do it all over.

it can be anything, as long as you want it - youth, money, intelligence, material possessions, time, control, anything.

C'mon, PB!! Really?? And would you honestly do it differently, or would you make the same mistakes? And if you didn't, you wouldn't experience the same lows. On the flip side, does that mean you wouldn't experience the same highs??

Life consists of moments. Would a moment make children born differently? Same egg, but maybe a different sperm? How much different would they be?

Maybe a different career, a different school. Maybe if I had worked harder in high school, I could have gone to a better college, gotten a better job, or a different job. What friends did you make that shaped your life? I met my husband in college. What would become of my life if had gone to different schools? Would we have met somehow (can't imagine how, since our lives bisected in no other way)?

I would never want to live my life over. The first time was rough enough!!

Oh, and I've always wanted to be able to paint. Or play an instrument. Those would be cool overnight skills.

I am envious of people who have a good sense of direction. I'm referring to driving directions. I've been with people who have absolutely no idea of how to get to the destination, and have minimal info, and yet, somehow they get there problem free using there logic and intuition I guess.

If I am going somewhere out of my area, don't tell me to go North on Ontario and South on Main or whatever. Tell me to turn on a specific street dammit! Let me know there's a Shell station at the corner and/or the next turn is the third light down and give me the street.

Anyway, I like to think what I lack in that sense that maybe I might excel in something else, just don't know what. Unfortunately, both my daughters inherited my sense of direction.

TIS

I would like to be the one, who cures cancer, or brings peace and justice to places like the Middle East; or write the Great American novel, or create a magnificent work of art.

At the same time I would love to relive some moments in my life, like holding my children when they were babies. This, I realize, would be dangerous as it would be very tempting to live your life in the past.

I am exactly the same way. How do I know if I should turn right or left for going north ? I cannot go anywhere without looking at google maps

I too would want money, but for a specific reason. First, enough money to buy an island. Then I would take the rest of the money and construct the largest, by far, of one of those fast-food play places. You know, where the kids can climb up inside the plastic tube tunnels and slides and pools of plastic balls, etc... except mine would cover an entire island and you would need a map to navigate through, or preferably, at a reasonable cost, one of many midget guides I would have available.

You could spend as long as a month trekking through colorful tunnels, tumbling down twenty story slides into acre-size pools of plastic balls and camping in specified areas where llamas roam free and rule with their damning spit.

I'd call it Llama Land, and charge very little because of course I'd somehow be a billionaire by wishful obtainment. That's my dream, and if anyone steals my idea... well I'll gladly pay to play in your play-place island.

Okay, see you at the Neverland Ranch then!

I'll take all of that - thanks!

By tomorrow, please.
That's when the truth comes out, isn't it? I didn't lie in that reply... it's true regardless!

i change my wish - i want geoff.

I wouldn't do a damned thing different. It's just that it was so much fun, why not do it all over again?

That's the PB we know and love!!!

I have not decided yet and may never be able to decide for such a thing at all.



Why exactly five years?

I forgot to add something (i am greedy )... I want to be 5 years younger with my current knowledge/experience of life. It was a strange coincidence when I saw this thread, because just that morning, I was thinking how great would it be if I were 22 at this point in time. I don't want to go back to 16 or 18 because I wouldn't do anything different or atleast anything better. The last 5 or 6 years define my personality today and these were the learning years (I am a slow learner ) and also the times of radical change in beliefs. I want to live these lost/last 5-6 years again.

Haha, I guess I forgot to mention it would be for adults only. The kids could stay at the little fast food ones. I don't think kids could survive for days at a time on my island. Unless there was some weird Lord of the Flies thing going on.

And what do you mean you'll seem me at the Neverland Ranch? Are you there? *shivers*

I'd like to change my voice. I hate it.

Don't feel bad TIS my mom has a real lousy sense of direction, and she'll admit it herself.

That's why whenever her & my dad go on a long trip he always drives. Plus when her & I went to California awhile back I did all the driving, as she admitted herself if she drove we'd get lost.


Now to answer the original question. I'd take the money no doubt about it. Yeah it's been said money can't buy happiness, but hell if I was a millionare I'd be happy being miserable.

Thanks Iceman. I'm glad I'm not alone.

True story: A few years ago, both my daughters and I drove to Vegas. I forgot exactly where we were, but drove to some casino and parked in the parking ramp. When we went to the car at the end of the evening we couldn't find it. We looked and we looked. We knew what level we were on and simply lost our car. Finally after walking the parking ramp God knows how many times, we went to the ramp next to it and sure enough there was the car. Ha ha ha! What idiots we were. Not only that, how many times have I been to Vegas (a lot). I should know. We felt like 3 stooges, but laughed like crazy ans till talk about it today from time to time.



TIS

Thats because only losers go to Vegas.

Ha ha!!! Yea, ,remember that guy? Mr. Congeniality!! What a welcome wagon he was.

Well, this "loser" is going again in July and can't wait.

TIS

Lucky you!! ... I wish I was joining ya.

I would use my obtainment to help improve my Mother's health!

You're a good son.

Thank you Beth!

God Bless You Yogi

TIS - that is a really funny story, it reminds me of an episode of seinfeld where jerry, george, kramer & elaine lose their car in a mall garage & spend the entire episode looking for it. good stuff.

yogi - evident by your posts on this board, you are a thoughtful, concerned son; your mother is lucky to have you.