ARE YOU SAD? by Laura Stamps

Yes! That’s what most people would say. How do I know? Because last year CNN created a special poll just to ask this question. And the majority of the people polled said they were sad. Sadly, 48% of those people had been sad for over a decade. Sadly, I used to be one of them. Why? Many many reasons, but here are two. First, there’s the obvious. My name. Zanzibar. This is what happens when your mother is the geography teacher at the local high school. She names you after a tropical island that no longer exists. Thanks, mom. The second reason? My dreams. They never turn out well. Last night I dreamed a former client invited me to breakfast. How nice! But what did she serve? A dozen sample-size jars of peanut butter. Each one was a different flavor.  Each one looked yummy. Too bad I’m allergic to peanuts. See? No relief for me. Awake or asleep. None whatsoever. No wonder I’ve been sad for thirteen years. Until today. Today, I was cured. And I have Sally to thank for it. Sally’s family lives in the house next door. Today, Sally arranged her Barbie dolls, a teapot, and several cups on a blanket in her front yard. She was having a tea party. This is what five-year-olds do. When Sally saw me come out to prune my roses, she said, “Zani, did you know all those sad voices in your head are just your karma seeking release, and if you stop fighting those voices and allow them to come and go without judgement, you’ll eliminate most of your karma and never have to deal with sadness again?” Then she poured an imaginary cup of tea and offered it to her dolls. “Sally, you don’t sound like you’re five years old,” I said. Sally set the teapot down and gave me a withering look. “I’m the lighthouse, Zani, not the lifeboat,” she said. Well, then. That settles it. I have seen the light. Hallelujah! I’m cured.   

Laura Stamps loves to play with words and create experimental forms for her fiction. Author of several novels and short story collections, including IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RIDE: CAT MANIA (Alien Buddha Press). Muses Prize. Pulitzer Prize nomination. 7 Pushcart Prize nominations. Mom of 4 cats. Twitter: @LauraStamps16. www.laurastampsfiction.blogspot.com