I Was Born In A Hospital Bed...
...and that's where I'll return.
~Real Live Tigers
So, I'm starting this post at 5:01 in the morning. Technically, it's Sunday the 11th. I'm not going to edit or proofread this at all, so what comes out, comes out, whether you like what I'm saying or not.
Yesterday evening I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the movie is based off of F. Scott Fitzerald's book of the same title. WARNING: Possible spoilers. The main premise is Benjamin Button, the story's protoganist, is born with the appearance of old man and is aging backwards. Benjamin experiences all sorts of things and gains the wisdom of an old man at a relatively young age, but throughout the story his body slowly begins to rejuvenate. While everyone is getting older, Benjamin keeps getting younger, eventually dying in his lover's arms as a baby. Blah, blah, blah you've seen the previews, or actually, you've probably seen the movie by now. Although it didn't live up to the hype, in my opinion, it was still a really, really good movie.
By the time it ended, it really had me thinking of how ephemeral and fleeting our lives are. Basically, by the end of the movie I realized how bleak and meager my 19 year existence on this Earth has been up to this point. Really, what have I accomplished? What differences have I made on my peers, the community around me, the world? To my knowledge, very few.
But this all could be changed. To quote the movie, "it's never too late...to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it . . . Some people, were born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people, dance." Basically, this is not only a plea to everyone, but also to myself. Your life is your life. Don't be afraid to take chances. Don't be afraid to say "hello," but also be ready to say "goodbye." Don't forget to take the time to smell the roses. Always forgive; we're all human. Don't leave anything unsaid, and live each day like it's your last. Disregard all of this if you want to; your life is what you make it. Find your own true answers...They're there if you look.
I know I probably won't follow through with this as much as I'd like to, but I'm not where I want to be in my life right now. I know that I can change this, though. What am I doing? For one, I'm doing something that is important to me instead of working a mindless job or just lazing around at home this summer. I'm going to be living in Atlanta, working at a non-profit, community run art space called WonderRoot. Basically, WonderRoot helps with pretty much any kind of art you could think of at zero cost to the individual. For two, I'm planning on going vegan this summer. For three, as soon as I get enough credits (not all of my stupid, private school Berry credits will transfer) I'm planning on transfering to The University of Georgia in Athens. While there, I'm planning on participating in the local Food Not Bombs chapter, as well as adding my little part to the DIY scene. My main focus with this is to help build community and to encourage kindness to strangers, not for praise, but because it's the right thing to do. I want to do something that has a tangible impact on my surroundings. All of these things may sound unimportant or not worthwhile to you, but that's just it...that's to you. To me, I hold these things dear and want to do as much as I can with them.
Some days I feel like I'm on top of the world, but to be totally honest, I usually just want to die. If that is the case, then why am I still here? Because I know that there has to be something good and worthwhile somewhere inside of me; I just haven't found it yet. What I want to do with my life isn't make a lot of money, drive a nice car, or own a big house. What I want to do is help people. What I want to do is make people smile. I want to find something that makes me happy then share it with everyone I see. I want to open my crowded, crazy heart to everyone I meet. I'm not sure how I'm going to achieve this yet, but I have a lifetime to figure it out. I just want to make a difference. I just hope that someday I'll be important to someone, that I can find the sound of another heartbeat to match up with mine. When my day comes, I don't want to be remembered as a lawyer, or a businessman, or a whatever...I want to be remembered as a friend, as a mentor, as the stranger that chased someone down when he saw that they had dropped five dollars on the sidewalk.
I don't really know where I was going with this post or why I even started it to begin with, for that matter. Basically, don't be afraid to live life the way you want to. "I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
It's 6:04AM, and I have nothing left to say, but at the same time so much on my mind. Sorry if you read all of this.
~Real Live Tigers
So, I'm starting this post at 5:01 in the morning. Technically, it's Sunday the 11th. I'm not going to edit or proofread this at all, so what comes out, comes out, whether you like what I'm saying or not.
Yesterday evening I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the movie is based off of F. Scott Fitzerald's book of the same title. WARNING: Possible spoilers. The main premise is Benjamin Button, the story's protoganist, is born with the appearance of old man and is aging backwards. Benjamin experiences all sorts of things and gains the wisdom of an old man at a relatively young age, but throughout the story his body slowly begins to rejuvenate. While everyone is getting older, Benjamin keeps getting younger, eventually dying in his lover's arms as a baby. Blah, blah, blah you've seen the previews, or actually, you've probably seen the movie by now. Although it didn't live up to the hype, in my opinion, it was still a really, really good movie.
By the time it ended, it really had me thinking of how ephemeral and fleeting our lives are. Basically, by the end of the movie I realized how bleak and meager my 19 year existence on this Earth has been up to this point. Really, what have I accomplished? What differences have I made on my peers, the community around me, the world? To my knowledge, very few.
But this all could be changed. To quote the movie, "it's never too late...to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it . . . Some people, were born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people, dance." Basically, this is not only a plea to everyone, but also to myself. Your life is your life. Don't be afraid to take chances. Don't be afraid to say "hello," but also be ready to say "goodbye." Don't forget to take the time to smell the roses. Always forgive; we're all human. Don't leave anything unsaid, and live each day like it's your last. Disregard all of this if you want to; your life is what you make it. Find your own true answers...They're there if you look.
I know I probably won't follow through with this as much as I'd like to, but I'm not where I want to be in my life right now. I know that I can change this, though. What am I doing? For one, I'm doing something that is important to me instead of working a mindless job or just lazing around at home this summer. I'm going to be living in Atlanta, working at a non-profit, community run art space called WonderRoot. Basically, WonderRoot helps with pretty much any kind of art you could think of at zero cost to the individual. For two, I'm planning on going vegan this summer. For three, as soon as I get enough credits (not all of my stupid, private school Berry credits will transfer) I'm planning on transfering to The University of Georgia in Athens. While there, I'm planning on participating in the local Food Not Bombs chapter, as well as adding my little part to the DIY scene. My main focus with this is to help build community and to encourage kindness to strangers, not for praise, but because it's the right thing to do. I want to do something that has a tangible impact on my surroundings. All of these things may sound unimportant or not worthwhile to you, but that's just it...that's to you. To me, I hold these things dear and want to do as much as I can with them.
Some days I feel like I'm on top of the world, but to be totally honest, I usually just want to die. If that is the case, then why am I still here? Because I know that there has to be something good and worthwhile somewhere inside of me; I just haven't found it yet. What I want to do with my life isn't make a lot of money, drive a nice car, or own a big house. What I want to do is help people. What I want to do is make people smile. I want to find something that makes me happy then share it with everyone I see. I want to open my crowded, crazy heart to everyone I meet. I'm not sure how I'm going to achieve this yet, but I have a lifetime to figure it out. I just want to make a difference. I just hope that someday I'll be important to someone, that I can find the sound of another heartbeat to match up with mine. When my day comes, I don't want to be remembered as a lawyer, or a businessman, or a whatever...I want to be remembered as a friend, as a mentor, as the stranger that chased someone down when he saw that they had dropped five dollars on the sidewalk.
I don't really know where I was going with this post or why I even started it to begin with, for that matter. Basically, don't be afraid to live life the way you want to. "I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."
It's 6:04AM, and I have nothing left to say, but at the same time so much on my mind. Sorry if you read all of this.
posted by Dakota Floyd at 6:04 AM
2 Comments:
You're going to love UGA..For the most part probably anyway...There are always students organizing projects to "do good" in the community (the Living Wage movement has been getting a lot of press lately)....and Athens needs all the help it can get. I feel like such a jerk when I'm driving through Athens and I see dozens of homeless people with their trash bags full of stuff..and here I am with my own car, a college student, with 10 different desserts to choose from every night at dinner...
Anyhow, good luck with the Vegan thing. You're an intrepid soul. I've been a Vegetarian for 4ish years now but I do still slip up and eat fish and shrimp occasionally... My Anthropology professor said today that if everyone ate a veggie diet we could feed 120% of the worlds population....People don't have to ever go hungry....we just let them.
Anyhow, I've babbled enough. Your article made me smile...Good Luck with it all.
i stumbled upon this and it really moved me.
being at berry myself i feel like i'm not going to make the difference i want to see if i stay there. i feel like i don't belong. i miss my friends back home but i know that if i move back home and go to college there i won't be happy. i just feel like there should be more to college than this...
i was brought up to believe that no one cares about what you look like or the things you have so i wouldn't get caught up in the material things. but I'm realizing that i make an impact on other people. not with my things.. but with my actions.. idk what i'm trying to say either. but i really felt something with what you were saying. and it made me feel better about everything. i felt like my mistakes weren't as "the end of the world" as i was making it out to be.. i want to make things right and i can because i'm in control of my life. and same as you, i won't always feel like this or keep going with this as intensely as i'd like. but this feeling.. it's a start i guess.
i hope you find someone too. even if you don't get married or share your life with them.. just to have that hour or day, month, decade whatever of just knowing that you were made for each other.. that you weren't ever really alone in your life. they were there for you and you just had to find them.. or be happy knowing that they're out there.. idk. bleh..
but before i stop my blabbing i just want you to know that you do make a difference. i've seen you at the coffee house event and stuff and you were great. your music is really inspiring.. you bring a smile to people's faces. well i know you bring a smile to mine. who knows if you even still feel like this post or not. it's been almost 2 years.. but yea. if you transfer to UGA this spring i wish you the best of luck.
i hope that one day i'll work up the nerve to talk to you in person and not over the internet like a pathetic freak.
sigh. have a wonderful life!
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