There are those who live off the glory of the past, as is the case of famed sports journalist Jacob Peterson, or suffer the tragedies of other times, as does widow Berenice Viloria. But life can be relaxing and pleasurable when you choose to make it so, as writer Louis Bandler says. While the husband and wife, Arthemisa and Anthony Boulton, want to keep going through theirs adventurously, with their Lances sneakers, and with the humor that characterizes them.
Recently Bernice listened to a radio interview describing extreme conditions of survival, and the announcer humorously and sarcastically asked his interviewee:
-How much more pleasure are you able to endure?
Berenice was ruminating her bitterness, sitting in her armchair, but when she heard the question she jumped and immediately thought:
-This announcer lost a screw. How can he say that?
.....without having recovered from that impression, she hears a voice very dear to her, her neighbor, the famous journalist Jacob was answering the question ......
-Whenever I find myself in an extreme condition what I do is remember..... I remember my walks on the beach with my grandfather. I would go barefoot, without shoes, feeling the sand and the soft massage of the sea on my feet. That for me was paradise; although my grandfather didn't like that very much...... The sneakers, which he gave me every summer, I wore around my neck..... For me that and, seeing how the sun's rays reflected in the blue sky, inspires me to keep going.... in the face of any adversity that comes my way in my life. In that way I try to create a new adventure out of misfortune.-
Bernice immediately reflects:
-And me? Complaining about my past for 20 years.
I will talk to my neighbor. I will propose that we get together, he and I, with my friends Louis, Anthony and Arthemisa. We all have different experiences and we can learn from them. That would be like being part of the TV show: Shoes, humor and adventure, where they combine humor with danger. There they said that feeling danger increases the extrasensory experience. A program that I am sure everyone will like.-
Bernice calls everyone to meet next weekend. She is thinking that, after that meeting, they will be ready to go to the TV program to narrate their experiences. But she will keep the proposal to go on TV a secret.
Everyone attends the meeting. They talk about their experiences and each one also discusses what he wants to change in his life. In Jacob's case, he wants to live in the present, even if it is not as perfect as before. Meanwhile, Arthemisa and Antony think that their life is perfect as it is. They narrate their adventures through the Congo Jungle and, they claim they are planning another one; which they will report on later. The restless Anthony asks:
-What about you Louis, what do you think?-
-Listening to you is inspiring me to write another novel.....-
Arthemisa, curious, probes further:
-And what would that novel be like? I would not like to expose my experiences in a book.-
-How strange! You, who like adventure.... don't like those experiences to be written down. I don't understand. But don't worry. My book will be based on certain ideas, it will be something like: life is an adventure, come and walk safely through it - Louis answers immediately.
Berenice hears but seems absent..... and speculates, as if she is not coordinating what her friends are saying:
-Who wants to become a copy of someone else?-
Immediately he seems to perceive a sign....he remembers and feels an episode of her life....
It is in that memory, frozen in time, that now, fantasizing inside herself, she wonders:
-What would Jacques Cousteau do?-
Then a popular voice, that of the famous actor Tom Cruise, tells her:
-That's just the movie of your life, where you are the director. Change the script.-
-What script?- Bernice mentally protests.
-Transform the misfortune of a negative incident into an adventure. Put on your comfortable sneakers and move on to the next step. One by one, then as time goes by and you remember, you'll even see it with a certain reflective humor. ...... -
At that moment Jacob pulls her out of her lucid dream:
-Berenice it's your turn. Tell us about your experiences and what do you want for your life now? We all know how much you have suffered with your memories.-
Bernice reacts after listening to all her friends. It seems that they gave her encouragement to have another vision of her life:
-Well, I'm kind of reflecting.... maybe I got caught up in my bitterness. I should have sought help from a professional or, perhaps, talked to my friends as I am doing now. That would have helped me to overcome my past. In any case, I am very grateful for this discussion. It was very helpful for me. I see my past experiences as different ..... Now I understand that it was a learning experience, strong at that time for me. What do you say we go to the TV show: Shoes, humor and adventure?-
The adventurous Anthony and Arthemisa applaud. Jacob immediately accepts, reminds him of his glorious past, on television, as a narrator of important sporting events. The balanced Louis is hesitant:
-I don't know what I could bring to that show.-
Bernice immediately pats him on the back and reminds him:
-You would be a clear example of balance and optimism. Your slogan has always been to transform life into something pleasurable.-
Jacob continues:
-We will all be together. I think you could take advantage of it to announce your next novel. That program is seen even abroad.-
-I'll be there. When do we have to be there?-
-Wednesday at 7 pm. The broadcast will be live. We will also have to answer questions from the audience.-
The day of the TV presentation arrived. Everyone was enthusiastic. They told their experiences and their future projects. They are now answering questions from the audience. The social networks are collapsed. The program is breaking audience records.
In view of these results, the Kellogg company, which sponsors the program, calls the director Alexander Brennan, to propose something unusual that he will say at the end of the program.
When Arthemisa and Antony are saying that they have no funds for their next adventure, the director arrives at the studio and informs them that the sponsor has decided to award a prize to each of them to continue their projects.
Everyone is surprised and the announcer asks why they are surprised. The director reminds him that the interviewees are grandparents and their lives are an example for young people. All the participants applaud and the interviewees hug each other, thus ending the program Shoes, humor and adventure.
TV show: Shoes, humor and adventure by María del Carmen Sánchez Copyright © 2022
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)