Why would someone put a lottery ticket receipt in my guitar case?
And why do I feel unsettled and disconnected when I'm not sending out my little songs into the universe?
It's possible that the man donated his receipt in error--that he honestly thought he was giving me the actual ticket. (If this is the case, he'll probably never realize it if he wins.)
It's also possible that he knew the receipt had no cash value, but that he wanted to give it anyway. Did he decide to create a little false hope, a temporary dream? Or was it a big joke--a "just kidding"? That night, did he tell his buddies about how he pulled one over on the nice folksinger at the subway station?
I suspect he didn't think about it very much. He was probably just giving what he had to give, which at that moment happened to be a lottery receipt. Other people give other things: pennies, protein bars, Mexican coins, cartons of milk. Songs.
No matter what the receipt was actually worth in his pocket (nothing), once he gave it to me it did turn out to be worth something. It created a connection with me that's lasted, now, two weeks. And now that story is being retold and amplified.
And so it is with a melody line, a voice, a lyric...even one that isn't worth a million dollars. When it's shared, it just might be heard. It just might be valuable.
"This is not a ticket."
Says who?
2 comments:
This is interesting, Lynn. Sometimes a question is inspiration -- story. Whatever the man's motivation, error, trick, or otherwise, he has given you a gift.
I've heard it argued that "ideas" are the dominant life form here on earth and that we're merely vessels or vehicles for their activity. Interesting but a tad too sci-fi for most.
I think you're closer to the truth with your lottery ticket experience and that "stories" are the dominant life form and that we exist to live them out and pass them on.
- Dave
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