Spell to Be Successful

Start with a questionable choice, one that could make you lose everything, one that makes people say, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” while tilting their heads. Shrug. Say, “I’m optimistic.” Google, “Affordable psychic.” Think of something you could eat. Maybe a bagel. Send many panicked texts. Write stream of consciousness literature while hyperventilating. Rip up the pages very carefully. Stay in bed all weekend. Drive in circles, at night, in the rain. Nod when someone tells you, “You shouldn’t do this.” Speak in aphorism, “Leap and the net, y’know.” Save money — except on bad days, order take-out. Order too much take-out. Listen to the same song, over and over — the one that says, “Keep your head up.” Use your tongue to check for cavities. Visualize yourself smiling, at some point, in the future. Pull your sleeves down into your palms. Say, “I have a good feeling,” and try to find it, somewhere, in your body. Google, “Sore muscles for no reason.” Look at every picture of Alice B. Toklas, even the ones that are the same but cropped slightly differently. Think about cowboys. Think about sand dunes. Think about your mother eating ice cream, before you were born. Think about your mother eating ice cream, now, without you knowing. Think of your life as a movie. Try to figure out what kind it is.