Life is full of tricks. Dirty, dirty tricks.
They (the proverbial ‘they’, the crabs in the bucket...you know, THEY) tell you this and they tell you that. From the moment that you are born, the moment that your lungs fill with air and the doctor gives you a hearty smack on the ass, the expectations are laid and society begins the slow clamp of the musty crab claw, pulling you down into the depths of the bucket.
Dramatic? Maybe.
True? Oh yes.
What was your life plan, my friend? Think back to the age of 15, when you knew everything and your life loomed, full of possibility, in the near future. Let me give you the generic example...A recent high school graduate, off to college to drink beer, fall in love and graduate with a good G.P.A. What's next? A Masters, Law Degree or MBA because, everyone knows, that a Bachelors degree is the new high school diploma. The average hitching age in the USA is 25 and we all MUST be established, climbing the career ladder, a baby on the way, by the ripe old age of 30. The white picket fence glistens in the morning dew as the little girl and boy, smiling, clamber over the feet of the sweater dressed, pipe-smoking husband as he saunters down the walk for the Sunday morning newspaper. The apron-clad wife smiles sweetly in the kitchen as she bakes an apple pie. The couple, 50 years down the road, holding hands while rocking on the porch swing, smile contently as they gaze into the sunset.
Beautiful, just beautiful.
WAKE UP!
Did I leave out a few things? Let me yank you out of dreamworld and back into reality. Ask any college graduate and they will tell you, the job market is bleak. The pressure of establishing yourself before the oh-so-important milestone age of 30 is staggering. The massive mortgage on the house inside of the picket fence. The husband that expects his loving wife to work 40 plus hours a week and wash his dirty socks. The wife and her wallet full of plastic. A sky-high interest rate and the couple working overtime just to keep their heads above water. Downsizing. The kids screaming, macaroni on the walls, the death of passion and sex, the daily grind, the commute, the working (let me repeat this, for emphasis) FORTY PLUS HOURS A WEEK (just think about this number my friend, 40. 40 times 52 = 2,080. You work approximately 2,080 hours a year!) for some jerk who works for another jerk who works for yet ANOTHER jerk who makes all of the money. The divorce rate for the first marriage is 41% and jumps to a staggering 60% for the second.
It is enough to make ANYONE go nuts. Absolutely nuts.
My apologies if I am sounding a bit negative, but is it not blatantly obvious that something is not working here?
They tell you to settle down. To be responsible. To paint your walls beige and be content to play the same part as your mother or father. That you have a responsibility to society.
Want to know the craziest part? We LISTEN!
To a bunch of boring, dumb people we've never met and to a bunch of boring, dumb people we know.
WHAT IS OUR PROBLEM?!
But, my friend, and this is a BIG but, the brilliant twist is that you have the POWER. They would like you to think that you are part of the cog, the rat-race, BUT (lean closer and let me whisper in your ear...) you have the POWER OF CHOICE! The beautiful power to choose your path for yourself. To lead a happy, fulfilling life. The life that you read about in self-help books, that you envy as you watch on the big screen. The power to travel, to immerse yourself in new cultures, tastes and smells. To learn a new language, take a leap and do something that you thought you would never have the BALLS to do.
Think back before the age of 15...how did you imagine your life? Were you a movie star, an astronaut? I can promise you this, no child dreams of sitting behind a desk, idling in traffic, trying to run off those extra pounds at the gym. You have the power to be the adult that you, at the age of 10, would be proud of.
It is 2011. The new year. Time for a new beginning.
So, my friend, will you take the leap with me? It may be into the unknown but, at least, the unknown is EXCITING. And really, don't we all need a bit more EXCITEMENT in our lives?
Carpe Diem.
