Living Life

Life is one of those things that I don't think we understand. We all share it, we've all been given its gift of breath, but we don't have a clue as to what to do with it. We've set guidelines out telling us what it means to "truly live", and how to properly get there. Yet when did we sign our name on the dotted line agreeing to live that way, agreeing to stick to the plan, agreeing to strive for the same tentative prospect of wealth that has engulfed every aspect of hope in our society? As children, the world was so big, so endless, so full of wonder. What happened? Some would call it maturing; understanding the responsibilities and realities of this world. I think I'd call it loosing sight. Loosing sight of the fact that there is so much to do here on planet Earth. In our youth, we saw the world as our playground: trees were pirate ships, clothing racks were impenetrable hiding places, even mere dirt was entertaining. But we have lost sight of the imaginative, lost sight of looking at the world as something different than what is first observed. Everyone sees the world the same way; the way they've been told to. The way we've been told to. The way I've been told to. When did the world stop being our playground? When did we become dissatisfied with the basic joys of living, the joys that cost absolutely nothing monetarily? You don't have to pay a fee to look up at the sky on a partly cloudy day and turn the passing vapors into nonexistent shapes. You don't have to ask someone permission to run with the wind and enjoy its comforting embrace. Joy can be found everywhere you look; be it a highway, your room, the empty desert, or even the oddly specific, like a Toyota Avalon for show at the county fair. We weren't given life to squander it on the mediocre, we were meant to LIVE. Every second that passes is a second gone. Excuse me for quoting Switchfoot, but our high school dreams? Some are still there, most: gone. Every day spent is a day that you will never get back. Why not do something unique? Why not do something thrilling? Why not spend your time doing things that actually matter? Americans spend their days working away, looking forward to the week they can take off each year and go on vacation. Why not make every day a vacation? You don't need to spend the entire day doing something. Even just 30 seconds will suffice. Smile, laugh, play, enjoy every breath you breath in because you'll never get to take it again. I want to explore the riches of this world. I want to never be satisfied with the ordinary, never be content with the obvious. I want to see things that others haven't seen, do things that others haven't done, even if it is something as ridiculous as dancing down a normally bustling highway. The world is indeed my playground, and I intend to explore every inch that I possibly can. And you dear readers, you are all invited to join me. Any takers?