Count Me In---Maybe

 I received a call from a nice young man who wanted my opinion on several issues. When he told me that he was associated with The Gallup Poll, I assumed he was either an equestrian or calling from a small town in New Mexico. He seemed pleasant enough so we chatted for a bit. At first our conversation was quite boring. I was instructed to only count from 1 to 10 or answer “Yes” or “No”.  That just wouldn’t do! 

After a bit of prodding, I found out he was a college student phoning me from Omaha, Nebraska. He majored in English and wrote slam poetry. Oh, Ye of doubting minds! Of course, I know about slam poetry. Slam poets are angry young people who scream and shout something unintelligible at the audience, and when they are finished, everyone applauds and then they sit down. 

He asked me if I think English is a good college major since he wants to be a poet. I told him to follow his dreams, so he won’t reach 70 years of age and say, “I always wanted to slam, and didn’t do it.” Dreams can change and, thank God, so can poetry.

I don’t think that some of the questions in the Gallup Poll will lead the researchers to the right conclusions. For instance, I was asked “Would you feel safe taking a walk at night?” I answered, “No”. Where I walk during daylight hours, there are signs that warn, “Danger! High Mountain Lion Activity. Enter At Your Own Risk.” Most lions are nocturnal hunters. I am not afraid of being mugged. I am afraid of being eaten.

The nice young man also asked me, “Did you experience stress yesterday?” Of course I experienced stress. If you are alive, you experience stress. However, all stress isn’t negative. Cheering for your football team is not the same stress as finding a rattlesnake in your garage. By the way, I did find a curled up rattlesnake in my garage. I told the young man that I had played field hockey in high school and never thought I’d use it, but I grabbed a broom and hockey pucked that rattler right out of my garage.

He didn’t want to talk about that. I think he was experiencing a little stress. Yes?                           

(Esther Blumenfeld (count me In---maybe)