#8 Be Foolish

As I have been off this week, one theme that has been forcing its way into my head is to be a little irresponsible. Now, I’m not talking about going off the deep end, getting drunk and speeding around all night. I just mean to take some time to stop obsessing over being good, wise, responsible and driven. To be truly wise is to recognize that life is a journey and you are always a work in progress. Uptightness and hyper-responsibility are actually signs of IMmaturity, as it shows you are living an imbalanced life. Take some time to laugh about something you shouldn’t, to play a prank on someone, or to make a choice that might not be the best one. A little immaturity will balance you back out and help you stay on course in the long run. Otherwise you wind up snapping one day and going off the deep end. 

Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. Today I was supposed to go donate plasma, my usual side-hustle. As I was leaving the house, a thought hit me. I realized that I am going to need to switch up my donation days soon anyway to accommodate the new job, which typically involves skipping a few sessions to reset the schedule. I decided to make today that day, and blew off work to go to the mall. I walked the mall, and target, and the discount store. I bought myself the socks I needed, along with a coffee, and a corn dog. I went nuts and had a good time. 

This may not seem like much, but I’m usually a little uptight, and spending like this is usually off-limits for me. I’m happy with it usually, but I think it’s important not to obsess over being responsible and “wise.” I think it’s good to kick back and enjoy your life every now and then. This reminds me of the fiasco with my last car. I cared so much about picking the right car and taking care of it that it became a bit of an obsession. I put all my trust in the work I had put in and I was more than a little peeved when I got rear-ended. All my confidence came crashing down, and for a second I wasn’t sure what to make of this incident. 

I’m reminded of that because this story has a similar moral: don’t obsess over responsibility. No amount of responsibility can guarantee that you will stay out of harm’s way. If you are like me, you may need time to let go of the need to perform, and to simply embrace the imperfections of being human. Even though there is great joy in doing well and being responsible, you can burn yourself out if you push yourself too hard for too long. At the end of the day, everyone needs a break to cut loose and be a little nutty. 

I’m reminded of high school, when we all tried our darndest to be as “mature” as we possibly could. We were so ready to grow up that we tossed out “childish” selves out of the window. Even now, there’s a temptation to watch the super-deep documentary when I would rather watch cartoons. I think we were never truly meant to ever let go of that inner kiddishness. Maybe that’s part of why Jesus went out of His way to tell us to be like kids. He knew we would get caught up in the responsibilities of life, forgetting to take a deep breath and do more than just survive. 

And in the grander scheme of things, it means we shouldn’t be in such a hurry to be on top of the world. A better-paying job will come in due time. The growth and schooling aren’t going anywhere. And that fancy new car you keep seeing ads for? That thing doesn’t really matter anyway. What I am trying to say is to stop obsessing over the next achievement. If you keep moving forward in some capacity, the things you need will keep coming. There’s no need to obsess over it all. Take a moment to pause and appreciate how far you have come, how much you have accomplished and all the things you have gotten. Go against the progress for a bit so you can come back to the one thing that truly matters: enjoying life while you have it.

So take some time to enjoy life. Really live it, laugh through it, and find something worth smiling about. Go against your natural tendencies to be driven and responsible and just take some time to goof off. I pray this post has blessed you, and that you find the means to enjoy life while you have it, and to be grateful for all that you have been blessed with

Until next time

May Peace be your Guide.