what we have here is a failure to communicate

My birthday is on September 4th, and I usually chart the course of my year between Septembers instead of Januarys. I don’t really make new resolutions. Instead I reaffirm the one I came up with when I was 18 – which was to not wait for life to come to me, but to run out and meet it. A rather ambiguous resolution I suppose. What it means to me in my day to day life is of course to try the next thing, be open to new experiences, be more inclined to action over inaction, accept the adventure, seek out the adventure.

This new year has gotten off to a good start. I went to my first country fair on Monday, September 1st. I watched pig racing and a lumberjack show. I ate a fried onion bloom and looked at the region’s award winning pumpkins, sunflowers, and cross-stitch samplers. I let my roommate talk me into riding my first fair rides – the Sky Diva, a ferris wheel with pods that could spin round, as well as the Zipper, which had a revolving arm and pods that flipped and flipped (and flipped and flipped). I watched a long-haired country band from Illinois lay down some licks, and devoured almost an entire bag of maple cotton candy. I licked my fingers and went home thoroughly pleased with myself and fairs and life in general.

That attitude of going for it is what I want to carry with me throughout the next year. It’s not as easy as you might think. I’m good at being lazy, and often need the enthusiasm and encouragement of friends to get out and do things. I wouldn’t have ridden the Sky Diva if I had been on my own. I needed Lea Ellen’s extra push. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It’s usually that much more fun to share experiences with another person. My goal though is to not turn down experiences because they might be a little scary or weird. I would rather try something and dislike it than not try anything at all!

Each year I make a little progress in this, and that is exciting. The whole process is exciting! It is probably just all part of growing up, and everyone does it. That’s good. I am glad that there are other people getting as much fun out of trying octopus, or visiting a new waterfall, or riding a ferris wheel as I am.

And to all the people who still aren’t getting out and immersing themselves fully in the lake of life I say, “Hey, I’m certainly not God’s gift to swimming, but if I can stay afloat I’m sure you can. So come on in! The water’s fine.”

Heh. There’s an idea. Perhaps this year, the year I’m 22, I should learn to swim!! 🙂