Have you ever seriously considered the overused saying “Life is short, so enjoy every minute of it?” My wife and I have learned over the years, as many of our fellow mortals have learned, to abide by this quip. Indeed, we have found that life has become shorter since our boys (now young men) left the nest (another overused saying). A saying that I often think of, being caught in these mature years of life, but feel is inappropriate is “I hope life could be longer.” Hope, I feel, is only useful in a state of hopelessness; and I certainly don’t feel my life is hopeless. I do have God and my beautiful wife.
Now that we spend almost all of our hours together (we are both retired), my wife of 31 years search for pastimes to keep us occupied, such as watching the news and our favorite TV programs (not at all unique, right?). Recently, I learned how another couple in a similar life situation spend their time together. The past time they have developed, some would think it strange, involves a relationship with an imaginary visitor from outer space, appropriately named the Visitor. In the relationship the husband plays the Visitor and his wife plays a caught-unawares yet inquisitive earthling. The earthling is surprised by the relationship, you see, because the Visitor has secretly invaded her husband’s body. He revealed himself, one day, unexpectedly, and is distinguished (only by the earthling) by his unsociable behavior and by his (better than thou) style of speaking which, more than not, centers on the purpose of his visit.
The Visitor has arrived to prepare for an (time to be determined) eventual, invasion of earth by his planet, appropriately named Visitene. The dialogue that goes on between the Visitor and the earthling is not planned and only takes place when they are relaxing together and speaking of things that may be common to earthlings or, in general, commenting on the day’s mundane events. Some things, however, are not so common to the Visitor; others are ordinary knowledge to him– he spares no social skills in letting the earthling know this.
The Visitor’s behavior is consistent and seems to (almost always) involve putting-down the earthling and her planet and haughtily commenting on both general and peculiar issues that arise during their discussions. He and his time on earth as well as his visit with the earthling know no bounds.
