The time has come to fill out a new entry in my log of life. The time has come to let things off of my chest so that I can uncover what is so beautiful about this life. And God truly showed me how beautiful it is today. . .
I have not had such a spectacular day (or two) in a long time and the Lord just filled these with the most wonderful people, conversations, sights and sounds that make you really wonder why you deserve any of it. There are just so many things to be thankful for I am not sure where to begin.
Perhaps I should start with the people in my life. I’m not talking about those of you who think God is amazing (but that doesn’t mean that you don’t) or the people who think corporate America is choking today’s youth (though that is also a plus) or the people who think that birds are people too (because they aren’t, get over it, but love ‘em anyway ). The people I am talking about know who they are even if they never see any of this. They are simply amazing. Sure, certain things in life cause them bumps and bruises, but they definitely see the sweeter things past the sour grapes. And it isn’t because anyone tells them to believe it. That is the beauty of life.
My friends, they know what’s up. It isn’t about the news. It isn’t about Abercrombie. It isn’t about alcohol. It isn’t about the opposite sex. It isn’t about showering everyday. It isn’t about staying away from anything that can harm you. It is about throwing yourself out there into a rough world where criticism will arise, trees will fall, punches will be thrown, clothes will be muddied, and rejection will be met face to face. And they will meet it all, not always smiling, but always persevering.
And they know no matter what, someone will always be there for them.
I can’t understand the others though. They are so captivated by things that force them to miss the beauty of the world around them. Why should you be afraid to jump into the mud? I’m talking figurative and literal here. Seriously now. What makes anyone so great that they can’t get a little dirty. Football in the mud is FUN. If football isn’t your game then music in the rain is FUN. If that’s not your thing then what about singing in the rain? I mean you can’t always look at these things negatively, it makes no sense. I don’t even watch the weather, because it does not matter. By watching the weather we cannot magically control it and little drops of rain will not hurt, I promise.
And never think you are so high and mighty that you can’t eat meat on Fridays either. If you want to follow the letter of the law so precisely, go ahead. But the Lord did not put this world around us so we could sit inside on a Sunday and watch it pass us by. The object of the Sabbath is NOT to keep us from going to the grocery store, it is to let us focus on the gifts we have in rest. Watching football is not a sin. We cannot force others to conform to our world anymore than we should conform to theirs. And yes, this is aimed at a specific audience, but anyone who takes anything as his or her personal god should be able to relate the same way.
So just live a little.
All of us are pushed to get the new Air Jordan’s or to live in that big fancy development. But what will that shoe do for you? And does that house advertise that it is located on a beautiful countryside that, ironically, was only beautiful until 500 homes were plotted on top of it? And yes, there is a nice view now, but have you noticed the trend of developments falling in around developments? Give me a break. So many things have gone unnoticed in favor of so many things that need not have notice. What is the point of the tiny little 8oz soda cans? You take two gulps and throw the can away. It isn’t just the build up of tiny cans either, it is the manufacture, the waste of natural resources, the waste of our minds that are being tricked into thinking we need it because it fits in our lunch box.
And it isn’t just the soda, it is our entire lives that are expected to fit in a lunchbox. It begins at a young age with the advertising, whether subliminally aimed or blatantly on a billboard, we see it. We see all the things we need to survive in this world. Now you may say, “But Steve, you wear boots all the time, and so do I, they are all the rage.” And I will ask you why your Timberlands have no mud on them. Think for yourself, please. I mean who plays basketball in boots? OK, so I’ve seen a few people do it, not by choice though. And so we put the Timberlands, the Goochi, the RayBan’s, the Blue Hen Spring Water, and our Nintendo into our lunchbox.
Then on top of our at home schooling we go to grade school and high school. These are no easy tasks, mind you, but they should not be work either. In fact, for me, they weren’t. No, I did not get straight A’s, but nor did I care. And the SATs? I thought they were fun. Yes, I know I’m crazy, but really now, how many times in your life to you get to test what you learned so extensively. Now the complete lack of science is disturbing, but AP Chem was for that. So how many people do you know that were enjoying these things? Not many I am betting. They either hated studying for them or hated failing them or hated needing to put up with them. And how much has all that “knowledge” amounted to? Not much unless you are watching Jeopardy.
And if the time wasn’t spent on studying, what was it spent on? I can almost guarantee it was one of three things: sports, drugs and alcohol, or dating. All of these are very important life lessons, but should be practiced in moderation. Studying is the same way. In fact, everything I mention here is almost the same. But instead we just take them and dedicate a small portion of our lives to them and then pack them away into our lunchbox.
Then we get to college. O dear, where to begin. Sorostitutes? Beer? Engineers? Jocks? O, o, I know! How about we just call it high school put into practice. That’s right, everything you learned put to use! And for what greater purpose? That you can gain nothing out of life but what you experience from that corner of it. I will give the University credit though, they try to expand out learning through all the liberal arts requirements. I mean, my life just would not be what it is if I didn’t know that people didn’t always live in cities and drink excessively. It just opened my eyes. If people don’t want it in their lunchbox they won’t eat it. The hunters have already captured their prey. A carcass cannot be reborn anymore than a diamond can be destroyed.
So what is to be done? Is there no hope for us, the lost generation? Are we just caught between great generations with our measly wars and over-hyped technology? I propose that there is no hope and that we will be stuck on these pedestals until the end of time. If you want to change that, do something about it. But you cannot change until you shed the A&F, Nike shoes, and the analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 that you engraved on the rock in your head. The food in your lunchbox has gone stale and nourishes you no longer. Throw it away and feast, even in the rain.
