young & reckless

Luvers & fransss.

It’s been too long, how lovely to see you. As I mentioned in a previous post, I neglect blogger way more than I should. I wanted a mini reunion, so here I am.

By the way, I think if I had a dollar for every post that I referenced Fantasy Factory & I put those dollars in an interest bearing account, I could retire on Tuesday.

A few housekeeping matters:

1. I am back in Texas, so there may be many more of these to come. I tend to get bored and want to write when I am stuck in a hotel room 12 hours a day for 2 weeks.

2. I wish I could delete the words ‘epic’ and ‘legit’ from the English language, unless of course they are used at the appropriate time (nobody seems to know when that is).

3. Ryan Gosling is…. go watch Crazy, Stupid, Love; I think you’ll get what I mean.

4. I am still so happy Melanie won So You Think You Can Dance.

5. I think that’s it.

There are two reasons I am here. First, today I was stuck in the car allllllllll day driving through ‘the land of enchantment' (how DID New Mexico get that nickname? #questionsiwillneverknowtheanswerto), so I was asking the dudes I was with random questions (does that surprise anyone coming from me?). One of the questions was this: “If you were stuck on an island and could only listen to one band/singer for the rest of your life, who would it be?” I was expecting Disturbed, AC/DC, some metal core band I had never heard of…..

“Bob Marley.”

Really, bro? That’s awesome. Not what I was expecting at all. It made me really question who mine would be. The very first instinct was Taking Back Sunday. I never get sick of them. They are my favorite. Easy choice. This guy’s surprising answer made me think again… It needs to be someone with variety. Soft, hard, bitter, sweet, happy, depressing, something that fits any mood. Who would you pick?! It’s not that easy. I am still having trouble deciding (maybe Mayday?). I’ll get back to you on that.

Second, I want to talk about something I discovered in the last two weeks. Being a seasonal firefighter, I really don’t have a summer. Most people go on vacation, play at the lake, soak up the sun, eat ice cream, beach, lemonade, whatever. We all know what summer includes. I haven’t had one in five years. I miss the 4th of July, I miss family vacations to San Diego, I miss friend vacations to Disneyland. I know, boo-hoo woe is me… that isn’t what I mean. I love my job and am very thankful for it. I just mean that everything I packed in these last two weeks made it finally feel like summer time for the first time in years. It was glorious.

In the last two weeks I went to the creek, I went hiking (not to a fire), I ate ice cream, I sat by the pool all day (twice), I got a little color on my skin, I walked around the city at night without a jacket & in a skirt (that never happened living in Flags, I was only there for the winter), I rode my bike with my sister, I went to the temple, I went to lunch with my mom, I went to a concert, I got a pedicure with my sister, I went on a date, I jumped in the lake at night in the rain.

Incredible right? So much to fit into two blissful weeks!

The important thing that I learned about it, though, was how simply reckless it all was. Not reckless in the irresponsible way (like maxing out a credit card, or quitting the only job I had so I could be more social). I was reckless in the way that I did everything I wanted when I wanted to. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t worry about what it would mean for the future. I didn’t stress in my mind about the consequences of the actions I took. It. Was. Amazing.

I am not saying we should all start making senseless decisions where we don’t contemplate the consequences of our choices… I am saying we should not sweat the small stuff. Life changing decisions, right and wrong decisions, decisions that affect other people… those ones need serious time and contemplation.

Deciding, however, to spend the money for a concert you will never forget, eating food you know calories could kill you with, taking the day off to lay by the beach pool with your nieces… none of those need serious thought! Just. Do. It. Thinking too hard about the affects hold us back. I always worry to the point of near insanity about every tiny decision I make.

“Should I text this boy? Maybe he will think I am crazy…”

“Should I drive all the way to Winslow? I really need to clean my room…”

“Should I spend this money on this show? Maybe I should save it for later…”

Behold, I say unto you: stop it with the stress. Text him! Who cares what he thinks? Maybe it will lead to something good. Go! Your room can be cleaned any time; you can’t go see your mom any time. Spend it! You work hard, rewards are deserved at times.

See what I mean? Reckless… maybe. Or maybe this is just how normal people are, and I am guarded for no reason. Either way, I learned something.

Have you ever seen the movie ‘Yes, Man’? That movie pretty much sums up my point. Saying no to things closes so many doors. I don’t think we should say yes to absolutely everything, but I do think we should stop saying no all the time. Yes brings opportunity. No puts you at home alone on Saturday night. Yes brings memories. No brings regrets. (Disclaimer: we all know there are MANY times we should say no, especially when the world would have us say yes. But the little things, like standing in a fountain, say yes once in a while.) Be open to things.

"The world is a playground. We know that when we're kids, but somewhere along the way everyone forgets."

It’s what we are, what we should be.

Put your feet in the fountain as you walk by it. Lay down in the middle of the street if you want to. Kiss a boy. Jump in a lake fully clothed. None of these have negative lasting impressions.. rather, they leave you with unforgettable memories. Being reckless keeps us young. Stay young… go dancing.

Think about it.