What are we here for?
by Amy Kenneley

Ah, the quintessential existential question. Calling for grey-matter thoughts. It leads to even more questions. Deep-thought questions. Things we try to understand and sometimes grasp only dimly.

But none of those things trouble me right now.

I am standing in the kitchen. What am I here for? Beats me. It was a very important something, I am sure, but what?

This short term memory is somewhat plaguing, because if I turn away and return to whence I had come (assuming I remembered whence) I will of course immediately remember what I had left whence to go where….and for what. And so to the solution: Whatever it is you came for and forgot--- do something else.

So while standing in the kitchen trying to remember what I came for, I see it. The Screwdriver. Near the sink faucet. There was a loose cabinet knob that needed tightening. Better take it back to the workshop, so off I go. The screwdriver goes into the tool box.

But what is this? Hanging on the back door knob is the empty suet cake holder. It needs to be refilled for morning delivery to the maple tree off the back porch. Woodpeckers will be unhappy if it isn't there.

The suet cakes are stashed in the utility room, of course, so I traipse there next. A box of them is up on the shelf above the washing machine. While pulling the box down, my winter work gloves fall, too. So that's where they were!

Now screwdriver is returned, suet feeder replenished and winter gloves recovered. But still----what am I here for?

Winter work gloves need to go into the winter work jacket, my all-purpose old one, suitable for scraping snow and retrieving mail. So off to the living room coat closet I go now.

What is this? What is this? Encased in dry cleaner plastic is a favorite, festive, holiday sweater. Suitable for festive occasions, of course. My mental light bulb switches to ON.

Hurrying to the kitchen from this holly-jolly hunt, I retrieve the container of cookies from the freezer. Just enough time to let them defrost before plating them. Festive sweater, festive cookies, it all comes together now. Forgotten for a few minutes, but now it has come upon a midnight clear to me. My merry-go-round of mini-errands only detracted me for a few minutes. And the exercise did me good, especially if I eat too many of those cookies.

And now to put on my festive sweater and head out the door, with reindeer and wreaths and snowmen all jostled together on the cookie plate.

The existential questions will have to be put on hold. For now, I don't know what you are here for, but for me…..I'M HERE FOR THE PARTY!

May all your parties -- wherever, whenever and however, be blessed, leaving you with happy and-hopefully-- long-term memories!