from Dancing Over the Rays of Light

Before the questioning member of my self could agree, or perhaps disagree, with my judgment, the telephone again rang. I answered it and heard a young woman with a pleasant voice. She asked me if I was having “a nice day.” I responded in the affirmative, without, however, revealing the details of my yoga class, my unsuccessful attempt to engage in colloquy with its instructor, or my recent meditation concerning the proper headstone to cap a long and successful literary career. After an exchange of pleasantries concerning the outdoor temperature—how it compared to previous winters, etc.—she reminded me that it was the time of year when “the friends of Heartland College”—a category within which she clearly assumed I belonged—showed their support for that worthy institution by pledging a certain amount of their “hard-earned money.” This amount, she then informed me, was tax-deductible.