Resilient Ideas

Retired from Life

The cup from which we drink was a fellow student’s gift. He got it for a couple of bucks at a household clearance. Just a few weeks ago, someone drank from it, someone who is no more.

The cup reads: „Retired – twice the time, half the money“. It is one of the gifts that you make, hoping that the funny lable upgrades the item’s uselessness and the donor’s lack of ideas for a meaningful offer.

Did the recent retiree smile at that humble effort of merriness? Did he feel the emotional void when sipping his coffee off the tawdry mug? Did the recently deceased maybe drink his last mouthful of chamomile tea from it?

Now the cup is ours to use during our stay in America. When returning home, we will give it to another Yalie’s household. The cup is going to be in service for a long time. All the while, its former owner retired from his worldly duty – he retired from life – and both money and time lost their meaning.