EMAILS

Writers often talk about the urge to write their sudden inspirations on whatever comes handy, and frankly, I don’t really care to know how many bestsellers were conceived on a roll of toilet paper. I never experienced such urge, at least not until 4:00 a.m. this morning. Amid allergies that made breathing impossible and reminded me of imminent mortality, a sudden discovery flashed in my mind.

Millions of visions of what may come once we die appeared before me, none of which had to do with sorrow, fear, or even regret. In fact, it was a most optimistic moment, so uplifting that by 4:11 I was out of bed and at my computer. Of course, I first read the latest on New York Times, but even the horrifying news pouring out of Sudan, Iraq, and the bedrooms of celebrities failed to spoil my gusto. I had just become aware of my own immortality, and believe me, that to a writer – published or not – is no small news.

Too wrapped up in manuscripts, forwards, and e-mails, I had not realized that my generation is making history. As the first of cyber people, we have found the infamous fountain of youth within a box called computer and as a result, have found a road to infinity. Just think about it, long after our bodies are putrefied and each of us has turned to dust, we continue life on the Internet and shall forever own a part of cyber space that no one could confiscate.

No doubt soon there’ll be smart entrepreneurs to try and milk that fact for all its worth, and surely there will be dorks who may add a whole appendix to their will, include a password, and leave everything to their dog. There may even be cyber crematories that for a small fee destroy your remains. However, that’s a personal choice. To die or not to die, that is now the question!

I, for one, am not only going to leave things as they are, I plan to write a whole bunch of new e-mails before I depart. First, I’ll ask all my friends to keep the notes, the forwards, and especially the first-hand jokes coming. I bet where I go downloading is going to be much easier. Then comes the fun part where I respond to all the spam I’ve been bombarded with over the decades: Yes, Virgilio, here’s my bank account and nothing makes me happier than to help you with your recent inheritance, and yes, Pamela, I love to party and meet young singles in my neighborhood and, Roberto Gonzales Ramirez, you can send me all the cheap Viagra you want, but I’ll pass on the enlargement of anatomical parts I was born without.

Old as one may feel, life is still sweet and there’s something magical in being reassured of your longevity. This morning’s breakfast is going to taste better than any meal I’ve ever had. No more calorie counting, never mind the carbs or the cholesterol. I shall savor every morsel of the forbidden foods, because thanks to Google Search, I am invincible.