The Rules of Life.

Life has rules. I'm not talking about laws, or morals or anything else we're explicitly told we can or can not do - I'm simply talking about the things that are expected of us on a daily basis that influence our decisions. It can be anything from what kinds of things we should eat for breakfast, to how far away from our parents we should move once we start our own families. There have got to be millions of these little unspoken rules that we follow without question daily, and I'm convinced that we don't truly live until we break them.

Think about the last time that you did something truly spontaneous, when you really threw caution to the wind and lived in the moment - are these not the moments that live in your memory forever? Are these not the moments where you truly feel alive?

The other day a friend wanted to meet up for lunch, I had the most epic and disgusting sunburn on my face - it truly looked like my face was falling off and to be honest I didn't even want to leave the house I was so embarrassed, but after some arguing with myself I decided to go and meet up with her. The plan was just to get some lunch and talk and then head back home to basque in my own self pity - that is, that was what the rules of life told me I should do. After we had lunch we walked around for a bit and decided to watch a movie - "The Adjustment Bureau" - it sucked, then we walked around a bit more and decided to get some frozen yogurt. Once we finished our yogurt my usually quiet, proper friend pretty much cut me off mid-sentence and said "Let's go do something. I don't care what, let's just do something". While this is pretty much the way I live my life, this very much isn't the way my friend lives - so without hesitation I stood up and we were off. We got in my truck and before I even got out of the parking lot I announced we were going to the beach.

After about an hour on the freeway we got to the beach. It was just after sunset and was probably about 72 degrees as our bare feet touched the cool sand. A few steps in I looked over and my friend was hopping around like a kangaroo with excitement ( This isn't a metaphor, she was literally hopping like a kangaroo ). We walked straight to the waters edge and without any hesitation she walked straight into the water. Now if this was one of the usual suspects I associate with it wouldn't surprise me - but as I watched this timid, quiet, always proper mannered girl come out of the water soaking wet and as giddy as a school girl I knew, she was ignoring the rules of life and she was truly living.

See, we could have easily decided to just head our separate ways after lunch and I could have gone home and stared at my face in the mirror for the rest of the day - but when I got home, completely exhausted I knew that on this day - I truly lived.

At the time I didn't think much of it, but looking back on it I can only think that maybe if I did things like this more often I would be happier. Not that I'm not happy now, but what if every day was an adventure? Sometimes I feel like when I was a kid I was put into a kayak and told that the place I want to be is upstream. I was given the tools and strength and knowledge to fight the rapids and spend most of the rest of my life fighting the current to get to this mythical destination that will ultimately lead to joy and happiness, and while I usually paddle away up the stream hoping to find this land of glory - every once in a while I turn the boat around, tempt fate, and live - that is until the rules of life make me decide to turn back around and fight back upstream. Is it crazy to think that maybe I should just go with the flow, enjoy the ride and live an adventure? Does the man that lives his life with reckless abandonment, ignoring these rules of life eventually find himself in ruin, or living life the way God intended it?

I truly don't know the answer, but I'm willing to risk it.