The Drone Takes Flight

Wake up. Eat cereal. Get dressed. Go to work. Come home. Read. Go to sleep. Wake up...

This is basically the life I lived. Sometimes it would be Cheerios. Sometimes it would be Lucky Charms. If I was feeling adventurous then it was a toaster pastry. The uniform was always the same grey business suit, except around holidays. Around holidays we were allowed to wear something festive. I let my creativity and imagination show. Then it was back to the suit. For a camera flash instant I could be myself. Then back to being a corporate drone. There was always a new book. James Patterson wrote so many I could hardly keep up.

Was it a fun life? What was fun anyway? Did I enjoy myself? I wasn't suicidal or anything, so I guess that's good enough.

My days off got pretty crazy. A trip to the grocery store. No telling what could happen there. Sometimes a woman got mad because her coupon didn't work. Sometimes a worker would storm out and quit. Sometimes there was even a sale! How thrilling.

After the grocery store, I came home and unloaded the groceries. I organized them by color so they were satisfying to look at. Opening up my pantry was like looking into a rainbow of flavors.

After that was all done with, I would read. If there was nothing to read, then I'd go to the bookstore.

I loved the bookstore. Nobody talked to you much. Everyone was in their own little literary world. I was in and out pretty quickly. The P's were the only area I had to consult. If there was nothing new, I was gone. I would only be slightly dejected.

There's no woman in my life. No, not yet anyway. Sorry mom, grandkids will have to wait. Do I have any prospects? Well, I don't think too much about women. I have enough on my plate with work and bills and the problems facing a new Patterson character...

Vacation twice a year. Cape Cod never grew old to me. Lounging on the beach reading, hearing the sound of waves. The same cozy motel. The owner knew me well, such a nice old lady. It was always enjoyable, but I was never sad when it was over. I liked my job.

That's what made it so much more upsetting when they fired me. "Budget cuts," they had said. No further explanation. I packed my few belongings into a cardboard bod. Stapler, mini Godzilla, pencils, mouse pad. With a final sad glance around, I was gone. Everybody avoided my eyes, glad it wasn't them who got the axe.

I had a lot of time on my hands without a job to keep me occupied. There was nothing to do with that time, though. Patterson must've had a creative drought. There was no money to go to Cape Cod. There was nothing to do but think. All of my savings were calculated to last me the next 8.5 months. That included gas, food and bills. I figured I could find another job in that time.

To hell with another job! I shocked myself. Where had this thought come from? What would I do about money? A person needed a job. And what would I do with all that free time?

Travel. That voice again. What was happening? Was I losing my mind? Travel where? For what reason? I had everything I needed here inside these four walls. And what if James finally released something? I had to be around to read it.

To hell with that drivel. Your life is bland, boring. Look around you. Is this really how you want to be? What would your past self think? You wanted to be a director for God's sake. Now you're just a boring drone. An android. A shell of a human. All you're doing is surviving, you're not living.

It was strange what happened when your mind was allowed to think. Not bogged down with expense reports and novel plots and how much gas we had left. The mind was quiet and the spirit was finally allowed to speak.

What ever happened to my dreams of being a director? I used to love movies and making films. Then I went to college and went with what everyone told me was "safe." A business degree presented many job opportunities with it. Safe job opportunities with lucrative careers. Kill the spirit, but never be worried about money. Was the trade-off worth it?

8.5 months, 8.5 years, who the hell cared? If my life continued like this I was a dead man walking. What was the point of going on? This wasn't living. This was existing until I had the time but not the energy or ability to enjoy life. This apartment would be my tomb if I let it. And if not this apartment, then some conventional house with all the things I had been conditioned to believe I needed. A wife, house, couple of kids, nice car, a dog...

Did I even want any of these things? This is what I've always strived toward without even asking myself if I wanted it.

Travel. That's what I wanted to do. By God I was going to do it. Who knew what tomorrow held in store? I could die before my savings ran out. Then what would be the use? Being fired was a blessing in disguise. James Patterson's creative drought was another. Not having a TV to occupy the empty spaces of my mind was another. Everything in my life lately was leading up to this.

Where would I go first? The California Red Woods had always interested me. Plus they filmed Endor there. First I would go to Endor, then where to? Somewhere else, some other prominent film location. I didn't know where yet, but I was taking one step at a time. Yeah, I would visit the locations where all of my favorite movies were filmed. The Red Woods were only the first step. My journey is just beginning.