I Dare You...

In high school I had a friend who loved to always be busy, and always have plans for the next few weeks.  Of course I enjoyed that as well.  I loved being able to fill in my planner, decorate the date if it was something special, and being able to tell people that I had to "double-check my schedule" to see if I was free.  At the age of 25, I am lucky if I remember to fill in my planner (luckily I have never forgotten to show up somewhere). I still enjoy filling in my planner, but now I don't decorate.  I just write down the event in the little calendar box, look back, and reassess how much "free" time, or me time, I have.   Honestly, everything that I have been doing recently, I absolutely love.  Seeing shows, going to dinner with friends, seeing college friends, playing kickball.  All that stuff is awesome, but what I'm beginning to realize is that the best times are the ones that are unexpected.

Lately I have been making last minute plans with friends, doing simple activities like going out to bars or just wandering the streets of NYC.  Those are the times that I have the most fun.   And it's not because of who I am with (although that always helps), but it's because it is unexpected.  When I make plans to see my friends from college, I know that we are going to have an amazing time, and we do.  But I love the unknown.  I think that's what life is all about: always trying new things, learning something new, discovering likes/dislikes on a daily basis.

The one question I hate being asked is, "what have you been up to lately?".  We are all guilty of asking it, but yet it's always out of our mouths within the first 5 minutes of seeing a friend.  I used to hate this question because I felt like nothing exciting was happening in my life.  A lot of my friends are at the point where they are getting married, buying houses, finding the job they love.  For a long time it felt like my life wasn't really going anywhere.  I was stuck.  I was in a profession that I really didn't like, and it was tinting how I saw everything, and limiting my excitement for fun plans.  However, now that I have given up on looking ahead, but focusing on the future, I still hate that question.  My reasoning is different now.  I dislike that question because I honestly can't remember what I have been up to lately.  I could give you the generic answer: working, going to dinner with friends, catching up on books that I've been wanting to read, playing kickball, enjoying the weather.  But come on!  That is so boring.

I want to be able to give people real answers.  And honestly?  I want to make you guys a little jealous (don't we all?).  I want to be able to brag a little bit that I did something awesomely cool, and had a fabulous time doing it.  Now we all know this might not work out too well since I don't like talking about myself too much, but I'm going to attempt it.  For the next 12 months, this will be something that I work on.  To add to my goal, I am going to start taking more pictures.  Every day that I do something fun/exciting/new/scary I am going to take a picture or pictures of it, and post it on Facebook.  I am sorry now for all the pictures that will be showing up on your newsfeed.  I don't post the pictures on Facebook for you (okay, maybe a little bit), I mostly do it so that I can remember what I've done.  Facebook has made it so easy now for remembering!  With being able to enter the location, who you were with, the date, it's basically a reference of your life.  Plus, I love looking back at old pictures, and remembering silly moments that I've had.

Before you read anymore, go to your page on Facebook and click on the year 2010, and tell me that you did not just smile or laugh?  When I click 2010, I see a picture of one of my best friends who now lives in Chicago.  She was home visiting for a few days, and I went into NYC with her and her dad and his girlfriend.  We had such a great time being silly.  I still laugh and miss her every time I see those pictures.  In a few years, we are all going to want these memories, and we are all not scrap-booking pros, nor do we have time to make photo albums.  Facebook/other internet sites is what we are going to have to help us remember.  So here is my dare for you: take at least one picture every day, and post it on Facebook.  It really doesn't have to be anything too elaborate.  It can be as simple as a nice sunset, or your dog, or even a new pair of shoes that you're absolutely in love with (okay, maybe only I take pictures of my shoes), but you get the point.  What are you going to remember in 2 months? 1 year?  5 years?  What are you going to want to show your future friends, husband/wife, or kids?

With that, let me leave you with a few words from Jason Mraz:

If this life is one act
Why do we lay all these traps?
We put them right in our path
When we just wanna be free

I will not waste my days
Making up all kinds of ways
To worry about all the things
That will not happen to me

So I just let go of what I know I don't know
And I know I'll only do this by
Living in the moment
Living our life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home
Living in the moment

I'm letting myself off the hook for things I've done
I let my past go past
And now I'm having more fun
I'm letting go of the thoughts
That do not make me strong
And I believe this way can be the same for everyone

And if I fall asleep
I know you'll be the one who'll always remind me
To live in the moment
To live my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home

I can't walk through life facing backwards
I have tried
I tried more than once to just make sure
And I was denied the future I'd been searching for
But I spun around and hurt no more
By living in the moment
Living my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home

I'm living in the moment
I'm living my life
Just taking it easy
With peace in my mind
Got peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Oh, wherever I'm going, I'm already home

I'm living in the moment
I'm living my life
Oh, easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
Peace in my heart
Peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home
I'm living in the moment