Off To The Bank For Something Irresistible

   About a month ago, Doralyn and I were watching T.V. when a commercial for a bank came on. In the commercial a young man with a passion for guitars suddenly comes across the guitar of his dreams, in a pawnshop.
   He must have this guitar but in order to purchase it he must rush off to the nearest branch of this particular bank in order to take advantage of their expanded hours and withdraw the large sum of money required. In a world awash with credit cards, atm's, and debit machines it's a little difficult to imagine this scenario but I did mention it was a commercial, didn't I?
   Anyway, it prompted Doralyn to ask me the question, "So, Sweetie, what could you find that would be irresistible?"
   This gave me much pause for thought, kind of like those, "What would you do if you won ten million dollars?" kinds of things.
   The difference here was that I wasn't being asked how I thought my life might totally be changed, I was being asked what few singular items might have a profound and positive effect on it.
   For the most part, the things that began to pop into my head were all small (yet significant) things.
   Amazingly, a perfect example of something I might find irresistible popped up on the internet either the same day or the very next day after Doralyn asked me that question.

I discovered that the handwritten, rough draft of the lyrics for "Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune)", one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite singer/songwriters, Joni Mitchell, had come up for auction. This is a perfect example of the type of thing I'd have rushed off to the bank in order to purchase. A few pages of scribbled lyrics, torn from a notebook. What they represented, though, was almost priceless---a singular view into the thought process of one of the greatest songwriters of all time. On top of which, pieces of paper Joni actually touched! And, likely, agonized over!

   I have no idea what these items actually sold for. I am now left wondering what I might have paid for them had I accidentally come across them somewhere. I'm thinking a few hundred dollars, easily. Maybe more.
   

Leonard and Joni

It would be the same if I ran across anything personally connected to Leonard Cohen, likely. More than any other artists, Joni and Leonard struck more than musical chords with me when I was young and growing up. My parents at the time were more than a little concerned with my (what they deemed morbid) interest in Cohen and his music, assuming that I must be deeply depressed and, likely, suicidal. Actually, Leonard was having more the opposite effect---it seemed that by hooking on to whatever pathos Leonard was involved in I was able to indulge in my own little catharsis, a reprieve from teen angst.
   I was at the library quite a few years ago and took out a book of poetry by Irving Layton. In leafing through it, I discovered that it was actually a copy which had been signed by Layton himself. I thought this was an incredible find! Not only did I have the book, I had a little bit of Layton himself. Honestly, I was tempted to just keep the book, such was its increased value, in my eyes.
   So they are not big things I'd find irresistible---they're the increasingly simpler, more personal things connected principally to people from whom I took guidance as a younger boy/man.

Howe and Richard

   While I'm mentioning singers and songwriters I should also mention that I am not immune to sports figures as well. And once again, it would not have to be the game-winning puck or the all-time home run ball I'd be interested in. I would be just as happy having something Gordie Howe or Rocket Richard carried with them or perhaps wore or maybe even used once in a game. It would be the distillation of whatever might still be left of their ancient spirits embedded in whatever item it was that would intrigue me, more than anything.
   I'm sure that if I sat here and mused for awhile I could think of a few other things which might cause me to run off to the bank. Can you? In my particular case, though, there would need to be money in the bank...