Stream of Conscious

Laying in bed tonight I was thinking

And listening to all the dogs

And the sirens and the shots

And how a careful man tries

To dodge the bullets

While a happy man takes a walk

And maybe it is time to live

P.S. You Rock My World by The Eels

I love this song. I got it from a book, actually. It's kind of awesome and you should go check it out. This verse specifically makes me think of taking risks. Risks are a terrifying and necessary part of life. Without risks, you don't get experience. Without experience, no lessons. Without lessons, you don't grow. What risks have you taken in your life? So, maybe it's time to take more risks, maybe it's time to live.

I don't know about you, but I want to freak out my children/my friends' children and cause them to have the "Wait! Mom and Dad had lives before they were Mom and Dad???" moment that I've had several times. I love hearing about the exploits of the adults in my life. They tend to be really good stories and I loooooove a good story. I have a few good stories already but I want an anthology. This is all really funny to talk about because it really sounds like I'm just doing all of the things I do to cause shock and wonder in my future kids which is kind of true but, c'mon, the shenanigans are really fun. Such as my most recent shenanigans.

Reading this, however, I am reminded of a book I adore. "Looking for Alaska" by John Green. There is a point somewhere near the beginning of the middle where Pudge asks Alaska what she wants to do with her life or something along those lines and her reply is "Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present." The first time I read that, I stopped reading the book. I literally placed my bookmark, and closed the book to ponder this point. Frankly, I love the character of Alaska Young. She's an appealing character with wonderful ideas and philosophies. Anyway, that quote resonated with me. Myself, I had the revelation that I had in fact done that so often. Aren't we all pretty much expected to be that way? In school, the teachers told us they were preparing us for the next step. On TV and in movies and in books the characters not in high school are constantly speculating about what high school will be like and the characters in high school are speculating about college and the college kids are speculating about their careers and so on until you've reached the elderly and they're always wishing they could relive the old days! Why do we do this to ourselves?

Why not live in the present?

Because there are consequences to our actions.

Oh, right. Hmm? Well, why not live in the present but keep the future in the back of our minds? You know, kind of like a balancing act? Or just being responsible?

I propose we consider the possible consequences of our actions but do not dwell upon every possible ramification of the choices we make. Not only this, I propose that we not only set goals and try to achieve them but also live in the moment.

I recently had a conversation with a young lady my school who is very goal oriented, driven and hardworking. She explained that she was trying to get through school as fast as possible to get to her career and work as much as she could so she had the means to pay for school and other necessities. Not only is this her attitude now, but it was also her attitude all through high school. While I applaud her drive, I have some concern. You see, I read somewhere that some pyschologists consider our generation a generation of burnouts. We work very hard and very long with little to no breaks causing our mental well being to suffer. You've heard the saying "All work and no play..."? Yeah, achieving goals is a wonderful reward. Yes, I know that school and work are all part of growing up. I also know that denying yourself the chance to relax every now and then is crippling. I'm not saying to stop trying; I'm simply suggesting that you take it down a notch or two and try to have some fun.

So, go to school if that is your vocation. Go to work if that is your calling. Do the necessary things to survive and succeed. But also take the risks. Leap from the top of the waterfall. Have dinner with that guy or girl. Go out with friends and do something totally crazy (and legal). Live while you're young. Find your stories.