A few years ago, I met a homeless man on a bench in central park. We talked about the universe and of our place in it. He told me that nothing mattered; that I should just do what feels right; and that regardless of how hard we try to learn, we’ll never really know anything.

Being much younger then, I let my mouth run itself tired, and then eventually, once I stopped, he stood up to leave.

“Don’t think about this stuff any more,” he warned me, “We have choices to make… Different paths we can follow… And this one won’t take you anywhere.”

As he walked away, I sat there with a vision in mind, and it was my own life’s path. I couldn’t see where it was going, but before me lay a clear route, like a dirt trail winding through thick woodland.

Looking off to either side of the path, between the trees and into the beckoning darkness, I knew that despite his warning, someday I would lose myself out there in that cold and indifferent chaos.

What I still don’t know is if I’ll ever find my way back.

You’re asleep and dreaming; anything goes. You could be making love or eating ice cream. You could do both at the same time… But instead you’re crying, because something’s gone wrong and you’re incapable of correcting it. Maybe you’ve forgotten to dress yourself before heading out the door. Or worse yet, you’ve driven off a cliff somehow.

Then, when the very moment of doom is upon you, there’s a quick flash and you’re back in bed. The sound of your own heart beating and the taste of sweat let you know that it was just a dream. And it’s at this point that I have to wonder: Why not sex? Why not ice cream?

Life can be the same way, except that some people never wake up. I’m not trying to suggest that we can avoid hardship altogether, because it does occasionally materialize. But I do think that sometimes, when things get rough and the very moment of doom is upon us, we’d all fare well to stop and ask ourselves: Why not sex? Or ice cream?