2010

My dad left back in January. He left nearly everything and is living somewhere in the desert of Nevada, Colorado, Arizona. Before you get all choked-up and sympathetic, let me do some explaining...
The year is 2010, we can email, watch TV shows on hulu, order groceries to be delivered to our homes, and look through people's profiles all from our cell phones. Our cell phones are built to last, approximately 8 months. The chargers they use are meant to last between forever and 4 weeks but cannot be used with any other phone except for the one right there in your hand. We can vote for an American Idol, but we can't believe in our President. We can buy anything with plastic cards and then keep paying on that one item the rest of our lives. We can drive shiny new huge cars, but we can't afford to put gas in them. We have the best hospitals, but we can't afford to go to them even if we need to. Our kids can take out student loans to afford the astronomical tuition expenses, and they can start their lives as they will end them-in debt.
My dad left and is now living off the grid for all these reasons. He is living that way because he can't seem to fit in to the way we live in 2010. He left because when he was little bad things happened to him and back then, dealing with it meant shutting-up, shutting-down, keeping it to yourself. He left because he never took the chance before. He left because he wasn't who he thought he would be. He left with hardly anything, unfortunately he took guilt, pessimism, self loathing, rejection, denial and disillusion with him.

I am not sad, angry or worried that my dad left. I'm not putting this out there to incite empathy or concern. I tell you all this, because I hope that whoever out there feels any of these things; that they aren't good enough, that they don't belong, that they can't figure it out- you aren't alone. 2010 came without flying cars, rocket packs or a world of peace where everyone can buy the world a coke. But here's what 2010 does have that we can all relate to:

1. When you are really sad, going through a breakup or missing your dad, you can log onto YouTube and watch Old Spice commercials and instantly feel pretty good. http://www.oldspice.com/videos/

2. Even though it's 2010, you can still pick up the phone, order a pizza and have it delivered in 40min. or less. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere in the desert (that's you Dad). Think about what you're missing!

3. Books haven't been burned and in fact there is a magic place on the internet called Amazon where you can buy them really cheap and have them delivered almost as fast as a pizza!

4. If you don't have the internet(how are you reading this?) you can go to libraries. They still exist. They are still free. And yes, you still have to whisper, but now you can check out DVDS and not just Encyclopedia volumes! Note to self: return Six Feet Under season 2...

See! Things really aren't so bad, scary or confusing as they seem. And if you still feel like they are, well, feel free to pack up and move south to the desert-I hear they have great sunsets...

Dear Dad, if you ever read this; xoxo miss you.