Pondering at Ten

A few weeks ago I found Old Mr. Rag sitting on a park bench staring at nothing.

“What are you doing today, Mr. Rag?” I asked.

“Oh nothing,” he responded. “I’m just passing the time.”

I went to say something, but he had resumed staring at nothing, so I thought it best to let him be.

The next day I found him on the same park bench staring at nothing.

“Are you still passing the time, Mr. Rag?” I asked.

“You betcha,” he replied and went back to staring at nothing.

The day after I met Mr. Rag at the park bench again.

“Mr. Rag, are you still staring at nothing?” I said.

“Yep,” he replied and turned to stare again.

“Shouldn’t you be out doing something? I mean sitting here and staring can’t be fun.”

“No, it’s incredibly boring,” he responded firmly.

“But you’re old, Mr. Rag” I said. “You don’t have much time left.”

“I want my time to last as long as it can. And time lasts longer if you’re bored. Now, if you don’t mind.” And he went back to starting at nothing.

Old Mr. Rag died a few years later. Officially he lived to be 78, but at that rate, he must’ve been alive for a couple hundred years.