Just Singing in My Lifeboat

   Yesterday, after being rejected (again) to give plasma, I decided that a little shopping at Barnes and Noble would do my soul good. Well, that, and I didn't have to be to work for another hour and a half. I walked through the entire store five times, found a book for my father plus three for me before I decided I had spent enough time and money wandering aimlessly. As I got in line to pay, I found and bought one more book. I'm a total sucker for quote books and little nuggets of wisdom, so when I saw this little gem on the shelf, I couldn't resist some good words of advice and endearment.

 "Don't Forget to Sing in the Lifeboats."

   I can't help but to feel like I need a shirt or something that has this as my life slogan. Well, at least my life as of late. Now don't get me wrong, I love my life, it's awesome! But remember that part in Titanic, when everyone is just waiting to get on the lifeboats, and nobody knows what's going to happen and whether they are going to get on a boat or stand on solid ground ever again? That's pretty much where I have been. I think sometimes it's just too hard to see the bigger picture when it's far too easy to be focused on the little things. 

   Yet, with all that said, I've pulled back to see the bigger view. Am I getting married? No way. Do I have a major? Not even close. But I have my whole life to decide those things and get all that worked out. Here's the real thing I've learned in the past 6 months of my life, stress and panic attacks don't fix problems. They only aid in ice cream sales and maybe acne production. It's amazing how much my life has improved. I've taken a page out of Crush's book and now I just go with the flow, and it couldn't be working out better.

   With that said, spontaneity has become this crazy awesome thing in my life. I always think, "oh, one day I'm going to go here" or "one day, I'll do that." But along with releasing the idea that the world might end tomorrow if I don't choose I life plan today, I picked up the thought that I might regret today if I don't make the most of it.

 

The Lady Gaga

   For example, remember that solar eclipse the other day? Where I live, we are just a little too far north to have been able to see it properly (just to clarify, apparently you could still see it pretty good. I thought you couldn't see it at all... that makes this adventure seem less cool. It was really just as cool, if not greater, so don't be fooled.). However, located about 4 hours south was the epicenter of the entire thing and the primest of all viewing areas pretty much in the entire country. So, I called up my dear friend Jenny, jumped in the car and drove. We literally drove 4 hours to see the sun for 20 minutes. But it was the coolest 20 minutes ever. Some strangers at a gas station showed us (well, they did and we just copied what we assumed they were doing) how to see it properly ala Lady Gaga, and then I learned that reflections on camera lenses make it just as viewable without completely destroying your vision. Now, as if driving into Utah's desert for a half hour isn't spontaneous enough, we decided to keep heading south, feeling ambitious enough to head to Vegas for the evening. Well, as luck would have it, last minute plans are sometimes intercepted by premeditated ones, so one phone call later, we were headed back home as quickly as possible. 12 hours in the car in one day, only to be broken up by gas stations, solar ellipses and a bite to eat is not how I usually spend my Sunday evenings, but it isn't one I will surely forget. Sometimes, you just have to get home at 4 AM to appreciate a good adventure or to think, "man, we were really crazy that day."

   Basically, here's what I'm getting at: change is great and sometimes we all need a little more of it. New jobs, new friends, new surroundings, and most of all, new experiences. That being said, I feel a great big change on my own horizon. 48 hours ago, I was just debating about what to do with my summer, and now I'm packing and job hunting to the best of my abilities. I mean, sure, I've had two trips in the next two weeks planned out for awhile now. But moving to California right after? Not so much. And when I think about that, instead of freaking out about just how much I have to do or the fact that I'm going to have to navigate on all those terrifying freeways alone, I remember that I'm basically going to go to the beach every day, build forts every night, and probably watch Laverne and Shirley to my heart's delight, and then I realize, it's all going to be okay.

Adventure is out there!!