Inside the Castle

Whenever they do the storming-the-castle scenes on shows like Game of Thrones or The Vikings I instinctively root for the people on the inside. I'm drawn to the notion of being impregnable, of being totally able to keep the threats of the outside world at bay. My single family home is indeed my castle, but not because I call the shots. It's because I don't have to listen to a neighbor's radio (or worse) through the ceiling. I've been hospitalized on a couple occasions when I was given Demerol or morphine. What the opioids do is make you feel untouchable. Kind of like what my white noise machine does each night. Or what those ear buds do for those millions walking around or riding the subway in their own private Idaho.