How To Relax In A Stressful World
Bombs dropped, drug running speedboats blown up, war overseas, at home, troops and fear in the streets. Costs soared, especially food–just staying alive felt tough. Millard woke each morning dreading the news, what horrible information the day would bring. He was an accountant who loved working, losing himself in numbers. No longer. He could not lose himself in this world.
Prayer did not help. Neither did Transcendental Meditation. Walks outside reminded him of the problems. Recreational drugs were only a temporary escape–and when loaded Millard had to avoid the TV. Allergies prevented pets. He found little relief from family or friends; they had their own problems. The best solution was to live somewhere else, but there was nowhere else. He did not have the money to travel–and many nations were as unstable as his.
He tried ignoring current events, avoiding the news, even talking with friends. He created his own world. He worked from home. He had food delivered. But Millard remained stressed. The outside world could intrude at any time. The sole solution, he came to believe, was to have himself frozen, not to be awaken until life was better.
He was drafted–but was frozen first. His instructions were explicit–he was never unfrozen, formally. But then Millard’s money ran out and he was put on the sidewalk to thaw. He was swept up by robot garbage collectors and woke in a dump.
Millard had not solved his stress problem.