O'Henry

Was it Sigmund Freud, or Sleeping Beauty, who said, “ A dream is a wish the heart makes, when you’re fast asleep?” Who it was that said this is not as important as the meaning inherent in it's simplistic message.

I’m not one to put a lot of stock in people’s dreams, but the latest nighttime hallucination from my wife, is a whole different story.

The dream began with the my wife and me in the White House war room, surrounded by heads of state, generals, and admirals and of course the President of the USA. The pressure in the room was palpable; negotiations were heated and intense. The subject of these negotiations is heretofore unknown and frankly, unimportant.
What is important is the subject of my wife’s dream, and that is “O’Henry”. In the middle of the negotiations, my wife stood up and said, “I’m calling an O’Henry.”

As it turns out, an O’Henry is a universally known, practiced, and adored tradition known as “The Nooner”! When an O’ Henry is called, it is the consensus that all parties involved, within earshot, will stop what they are doing, find their “partner” and engage in behavior classified as, well, use your imagination.

An O’Henry can be called by anyone, at anytime and anywhere.

What a great dream!! As you can imagine, the cry of “I’m calling an O’Henry” has been heard once or twice in our house since the dream. I’ve also shared the dream with most of my co-workers as well, and they all seem to really like the idea.

I know that it is not practical and fraught with logistical headaches, but what a great stress reliever for the world.

Just Imagine. Dateline, middle east. The Isrealis and the Palestinians hammering out a workable peace accord, deep into talks about what slice of land belongs to who. And then, someone stands up and says, “ I’m calling an O’Henry”. Cheers, applause, and a mandatory two-hour break. Everyone returns to the bargaining table with a renewed outlook, a more tolerable disposition, and a big toothy grin on their face.

Martin Luther King had a dream, and it is noteworthy in it’s appeal to “judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Admirable, yes. But I firmly believe that my wife’s dream, if implemented worldwide, would have such a profound effect as to change the course of world politics.

But of course, there would be nay sayers. Critics. Single people with no one to turn to when an O’Henry is called. What would they do?

Some would expect equal treatment under the law, which then would require the assistance of a hired hand? No pun intended. Men and women on the Nations payroll specifically to cover the occasion of an unexpected O’Henry.

Moral, ethical and religious questions abound.

But I don't care. The idea is such a refreshing look at the way we do, or could do business in this world today, I think it bears consideration.

Think back to the "Bay of Pigs". While I don't pretend to know all the details, I think it is safe to assume that that was a very stressful, dangerous time for world politics.

Nikita Kruschev had a lot on his mind at the time. High hopes for world domination, maybe.

Imagine, then, a face-to-face meeting with JFK and all concerned parties, maybe in Miami. Castro, Kruschev and Kennedy sitting in a room full of translators hammering out a reasonable detente.

Suddenly, John Kennedy, and you know he would be the one to call it, calls an O'Henry. There is a collective exhale of emotion and stress, and smiles appear everywhere. The room virtually lights up with relief.

I would believe that this O'Henry was planned well in advance of the summit meeting. Rooms would be provided, maybe some champagne, cigars(Cuban, of course) and chocolates for later.

The nuclear warheads would be leaving Cuba that afternoon. Of course, all of the men involved would naturally fall asleep immediately following the O'Henry, but a little nap would only serve to increase the relaxed nature of negotiations.

I think you see my point, or I hope you do. There is no greater way to relieve stress than an occasional O'Henry.