To Tell the Truth…
My daughter approached me with a book called Truth, geared to teens, that asked truth-or-dare-like questions. A sampling:
If you’re stranded on a desert island, what one person would you want with you?
Monica. My first thought was my wife because I want to share life experiences with her and would want the companionship, but that would mean that no one would be home to take care of the rest of the family and the adventure could be very difficult. My second thought was my best friend, but he, too, has dependents that… well… depend on him. My third thought and first choice would be Monica, someone else whom I adore that currently has no one truly depending on her and whose company I would thoroughly enjoy. And, if she’s not available, only then would I pick Angelina Jolie…
What one item would you want for food?
I’d need something that would keep longer than a week, tastes reasonable, is fairly nutritious, and that I could eat repeatedly.
What one thing would you bring for entertainment?
A solar-powered radio. AM stations often reach hundreds of miles, and odds are that batteries would be a rare desert commodity.
What would you miss most about home?
My family, computers, and a soft pillow.
Describe a moment that you were so excited you couldn’t sleep.
The most frequent moment is generally the night before a trip to Disneyland or the like. I slept well on the nights before my wedding and my childrens’ births, so those typical examples are out. I wouldn’t call it being “excited”, but when I tell myself that I have to be awake very early in the morning at a specific hour (like 4:00 or 5:00) to catch a flight or somesuch event then my sleep pattern is disrupted and I do not sleep well at all — although I generally eventually wake up at the precise moment without the need for an alarm clock.
If you had to give up one of your senses, you would give up…
Smell. Not sight, as I depend too much on it during both work and play. Not taste, as I enjoy food enough that my loss of smell would dampen any lack of enthusiasm. Not touch, as sex would be very, very dull if not impossible. Not hearing, as I enjoy listening to music on my jukebox and radio programs on NPR. I really could do without sensing perfumes, chemicals, exhaust, urine, and other noxious fumes.
Tell the story of your most embarrassing moment.
I remember a summer at the Sacramento Delta where I was camping in a houseboat on a then-typical summer camp with the YMCA. It was a hot day and everyone alternated between swimming and sunning themselves on the top of the houseboat. To my chagrin, several of the most popular girls loudly commented as I spread out on the top deck that my bathing suit was semi-see-through when wet and that they could see things that I would have preferred to have kept private, so to speak.
What would your answers be?
