I’d just crossed over the Lackawanna County line in Pennsylvania and had stopped for gas. As my tank was filling, I was considering the word Lackawanna. Which syllable to stress? What cadence was most natural? What did it mean? It sounded Native American and I hoped I’d remember to find out when I got home.
I was still chewing on Lackawanna as I went in the gas station get my receipt (Why the pumps can’t reliably generate a receipt is a mystery). This plush toy tower was unfortunately unmissable. And in a flash, I added the hyphens- Lack-a- wanna. I don’t want this! There was absolutely nothing I wanted other than my gas receipt.
I did remember to look up the word. It means “Stream that forks”. The Lenape Tribal lands had a stream that did just that. The same is true of our metaphorical “stuff stream”. It bifurcates into the needs branch and the wants branch. They’re separate and distinct, just like the two branches of the river.
Beware of the snags, eddies, rapids, and dangers lurking beneath the surface of both branches- especially the one carrying the wants. And do yourself a favor. The needs branch may have a gentle flow, but the wants branch is at most a trickle.
Lack-A- Wanna!