It’s 2:00, and my thoughts are on dinner. Tonight: Chinese food – something with garlic… then, of course, my fortune cookie.
I’m a fan of fortune cookies, for I love the tactility of my future.
… the crackle of plastic wrap.
… the crumble of fried starch.
… the phhhht of paper with promising words.
I read.
I put two and two together to rationalize some meaning from a random sentence.
I forget the cookie. I even forget the paper in my hand. It’s the words of wisdom I remember.
Is this really about a fortune cookie?
No. It’s about wisdom and optimism.
Wisdom is insight through self-dialogue. When I’m reading my fortune cookie, essentially I’m talking to myself. I see what I want to see. I extrapolate.
To a degree, my fortune fills in the blank between where I am now and where I want to be. But what truly fills in the blank is my imagination.
If I can’t visualize the fortune I seek, I simply open another cookie. And I’ll keep opening cookies until my vision is complete.
What do I finally say in the end, even if it takes a dozen cookies???
“Obviously, it was meant to be.”
Be a fortune cookie teller. And create your future.
Carl Balingit is a former engineer who applies rational thought to the often subjective nature of traditional healing. He practices acupuncture in San Diego, CA.
He also prescribes Chinese herbal formulas. The herbs do not necessarily come from China.
