Forever Young

July 17, 2010 at 7:35 pm · Filed under Life

Yesterday, a corporate outing landed me dead center at King’s Island Amusement Park.  At 95 degrees it was a hot and sticky walk down memory lane. And what better friend to accompany me on this fit of nostalgia but one that I’ve known since I was seven years old.  The two of us had often frequented the park  back when we were young enough to not have to worry about cell phones and purses falling off the rides, or when our biggest concern was which unlucky parent was going to have to drop and pick us up after all was said and done.

The ceremonial slice of Larosa’s pizza was forfeited by a generous corporate lunch in Picnic Grove that was way too filling for a day of stomach-dropping rides.  Although, I appreciated the awesome lunch, combined with the merciless heat and humidity, I spent most of the day doubled over in lines hoping I wouldn’t lose my cookies. Luckily, I made it through thanks to my friend granting me some humongous-ride get-out-of-jail-free cards, and suggesting we go on the Sponge Bob 3-D and Flight of Fear which were both indoors and heavily air-conditioned.  One ride which was an absolute must was The Beast which (for those who are not from Cincinnati) is one of America’s fastest wooden roller coasters that twists and turns through several wooded acres and never ceases to make me feel once again 13.

While she was riding the Drop Zone, I sat on a bench near some games and reveled in the shade.  My reverie was interrupted by an incessant, bristling voice that blared over a nearby microphone.  I finally looked over my shoulder to locate the source.  It was a teenage girl in an adjacent booth donning a referee top and a mouthful of braces.  She was engrossed in her sales pitch and had zero takers.  I tuned in to discover she was running the “Guess My Age Game” and attempting to entice players with a hot pink stuffed gorilla.

Considering I’ve been getting carded for well over a decade now, I made my way over to the booth to place my $5 stake.  We both knew on first sight she didn’t have a chance.  After she guessed nine years below my age, I picked out a stuffed Rottweiler for my friend (she has two real Rots, Rosie and Ruby) and the sheer child-like excitement on her face when I presented it to her was truly priceless.  After the moment passed she jokingly said passerby’s probably thought we were lesbians. 

Ironically, the last time the two of us were together at Kings Island was easily over a decade ago, and yet, we both realized that we shared the same memory of waiting in line for the Racers while “Right Here, Right Now…” (“…there is no other place I’d rather be”) was playing over the speakers. There’s something so wonderful in keeping your childhood friends and in keeping your own inner child alive over the years.  It’s so sad when I see people adopt ‘societal roles’ and lose who they truly are.  They think to themselves, I’m a mom now and moms don’t act like that, or I run a company and have to be the serious grown-up business man; I walked by a game booth earlier in the day and saw the President of our company shooting baskets for a prize – I can’t begin to tell you how awesome that was – not only because it proved that you can be a successful person and still tap into your childlike nature, but also because this is the person who I answer to on a daily basis.   How cool is that??

When you’re young and you imagine the older version of yourself, it always seems to be a faraway person that you have no connection to and who feels and thinks so differently from the way you did then.  It’s like we think we morph into someone else who will have everything figured out. But the reality is when you actually reach that age (whether it’s 28, 40, 65, 92 – whatever!), it’s still just you in an older body.  Does this make you look differently at the people who are stuffed away in nursing homes?  Good; it should!  I can’t imagine thinking and feeling the way I do now (but a little wiser), trapped in a 90-year-old body.

Maybe pondering on this fact will open your heart a little and let some compassion pour in.  Not only for ourselves as we inevitably age, but also for those who are making their way down the latter part of their lives. In the roller coaster of life, there will be many changes and ups and downs along the way, but if you can stay true to the child within you’ll always have a zest and adventure for life that will keep you young at heart.

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Later Never Exists

July 9, 2010 at 7:44 pm · Filed under Life

One of the most exciting experiences of my life was when I took a North Face camping pack, jumped on a plane and trekked my way across Europe, from Ireland to Italy.  I was 25 years old.  There was a sense of urgency.  I knew at that time in my life that this was it.  I didn’t have kids – no property, no career.  If ever I was going to take a month and just go somewhere it had to be then.  That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  Why?  Because I lived in the moment.  I understood that later never exists.  People that say they will go there or here or do this or that later, usually never do.  The time to live is now.

One of the most profound books I’ve halfway read (two times through, I still haven’t finished it, but have every intention of doing so) was The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.  It talks a lot about how we run from death in Western society.  We keep ourselves busy…convince ourselves that there just isn’t enough time in the day – so much to do!  It keeps us from accepting that death is right there around the corner staring us in the face and could happen at any moment.  We are so fragile.

If we embraced our fragility and realized just how fleeting life is maybe we would have that sense of urgency in everything we did.  A true passion for life would overcome us and “plans for the future” would become living life in the present.

“Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.”  Or so my favorite Beatle said.

Whoever you are; where ever you live; whatever your age: start living your life today.  In my 32 years, I’ve seen more people (than I would like to) die before they ever expected to – no one is the exception.  The sooner you realize, the sooner you’ll start living your life the way it was meant to be lived today.

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Billionaire Schmillionaire

July 5, 2010 at 9:35 pm · Filed under Life

What an amazing 4^th of July weekend spent grilling, shooting off fireworks and lying by the “Adult” Pool (what’s an Adult Pool, you ask? Children prohibited: as in no kids allowed to splash you with cannonballs and no older kids to spray you with Nati-Light while shot-gunning beers).  Friday, I stopped by the deli to get a sandwich and saw an elderly gentleman with a lopsided American flag tie and couldn’t fight the urge to compliment his patriotism.  He seemed suspicious and cold and I began to wonder if he was one of those old-school war veterans who isn’t so happy about 2^nd generation minorities like me assimilating their way into American culture. But who knows, maybe his heartburn was acting up or he was just having a bad day.

The long holiday weekend was slightly ruined by the expiration of my Sirius Satellite contract.  I sat on hold a few times attempting to renew and then opted for procrastination instead.  My reward was four days of driving with commercials and my ears being assaulted with “I Wanna Be a Billionaire”.  This song irritates me on so many levels.  For one, it’s one of those songs with a catchy melody that lures you into singing along regardless of what you’re singing (like when you catch yourself singing along with a Britney Spears song in a store and shutter with embarrassment, or when I heard a grown man singing Fergi’s Big Girls Don’t Cry). For two, if the song went “I Wanna Be a Good Person” or “I Wanna be a Compassionate Person” would it be playing 24-7 on the radio or running guest spots on Ellen?  Doubtful.  On this wondrous Fourth of July, I regret to say, this song should be an anthem for the moral decline in America.  Sure, it’s just a song. (“Don’t take it so seriously!”  I can hear some of the objections ringing aloud now). However, when a song is playing on the radio ten million times with little innocent young sponge-like ears listening at all hours of the day, I take it seriously.  And you should, too.

In fact, people aren’t taking media serious enough and as a PR person, I’m qualified to say this.  There is so much junk on the television and radio today I don’t know how parents can possibly begin to filter positive messages for their children.  I’m not even a parent yet, but I do know that children are the future and when my friend’s six-year-old is singing Rhianna’s Rude Boy word-for-word (and has no idea what she’s singing) that’s kind of a problem.

It feels like two-thirds of television is muddy, pointless “reality” television (or so the producer’s say) and even mainstream music drips with greed, lust and materialism.  I’m not saying you have to set all your radio presets to the Christian music channel but maybe flipping off the television to pick up a good book or spend some time volunteering could be beneficial. 

Commercial Consumerism in America has been the backbone of capitalism, but when it starts destroying music and playing on people’s subconscious that’s where I draw the line.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people claim they are failures in life because they haven’t reached a predetermined level of income or don’t drive the car or live in the home they always imagined. There’s nothing wrong with having goals in life but you have to also know when to count your blessings.  There are so many people around me who are so incredibly blessed but don’t have the slightest inkling of what they have.  They spend their time thinking the grass is greener.  Well, a very wise person once told me that the grass may be greener but that just means there’s more to mow.  I love this because she is incredibly successful and knows from experience that sometimes more money means more problems.

People often think that more money will solve all their problems yet what they often find is quite the opposite.  Look at so many of the multi-million-dollar lottery winners. They’ve made specials about how their lives have imploded after everyone discovered their sudden fortune.

The interesting thing about the things you buy with money is just that.  They are just things.  Have you ever noticed how you can want something so bad and when you get it, after a while, it loses some of its shine?  You’re already looking for the next best thing.

There’s a great Dave Matthews lyric from Seek Up that some of you may remember from years ago that goes:

Oh look at me in my fancy car
and my bank account
Oh, how I wish I could take it all down
into my grave, God knows I’d save and save
Man, take a look again, take a look again
things you have collected, well in the end piles up
to one big nothing, one big nothing at all.

I love this.  You can’t take it with you so stop lusting after it.  Lust after experience instead. Lust after connection, contentment, and love.  Because when the final curtain falls, that’s where it’s at.

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