The Future Refuses to Happen

SETTING: A cluttered living room with a meditation station, signs of Buddhism, new age. Papers piled up everywhere.  A clock ticks audibly throughout the scene, but elevates at the end. 

AT RISE: The character, mid-rant, paces back and forth clutching their back. They occasionally wince dramatically.

Character: (into phone) “Help! Help! I’m a chronic mindfulnesser, and I’m stuck in the moment! I keep trying to move on with my day, but no dice—stuck! Here’s my backstory: I had a real negative outlook, anxious and worried all the time! Then, I got invited to a retreat with Jon Kabat-Zinn. He talked about the importance of living in the moment, taking appreciation for what I already had. Oh, I was so stuck in a Have and Have Not mentality—it was killing me! An early grave, I was heading, I was.

This retreat was life-changing. I decided then and there, I would not be a worrywart any longer. I loved this idea of living in the moment. It was like quantum physics in reverse—it was science and nature all mixed up. (Throwing their hands in the air.)

It was really working well for me until I slipped and hurt my back—and I’ve been in agony for this moment… forever. I liked old Jonny-boy, but he never told us how to move out of mindfulness! 

Can you imagine having back pain for eternity? It’s awful, and I’m sure Mr. Kabat-Zinn would not want me to suffer like this. I’ve tried chanting, ‘The future is mine,’ but the future refuses to happen.

They stop pacing, hold the phone in front of them like it holds the secret to their misery, and shout into it.

I’ve been thinking, and I think the Buddha has some wisdom for me. He says suffering is caused by craving and attachment to things that are impermanent, and I think he holds the key—I’m craving the future. See, you can’t make the present and future non-changing—they always change—so if I can just let go of the idea of time and space, I’m sure this back pain will go away. So please, doctor, doctor— (Pulls phone away, looks at it.) Can you hear me? Please help me break out of this moment! Let this relentless back pain be a thing of the past.

We hear a long beep indicating the end of the message. The clock ticks loudly. The character pulls the phone away in disbelief, only a message! The character feels defeated.

BLACKOUT