“It’s hard for people to understand that I sometimes do things just as part of the journey of life.”
– Danger & Play
[Today’s post was inspired by a fantastic article that I read over at Danger & Play. Go check it out.]
When I was eighteen I started making major changes to my life. I stopped playing video games, started working out, began watching what I ate, and developed a work ethic.
During my freshman year of college I’d spend my evenings reading books and my weekends helping my dad build an addition onto our home. I made enough money that I decided to see more of the world and broaden my horizons. I bought a plane ticket to Belize and started studying everything I could about the country. As the holidays approached, I even got a job working for a Christmas tree farm so that I’d have extra spending money. On Saturdays I’d sell Christmas trees until it was dark outside and then go help my dad hang drywall and lay flooring. While I wouldn’t call it fun per se, it was one of my first experiences with working towards a goal.
Thanksgiving came and everyone was home for the week. I helped sell Christmas trees. My friends ate psychedelic mushrooms and went to jail. I began to suspect that I was better off doing my own thing. Tying trees to people’s cars was a lot better than sitting in a cell.
On Friday night I ended up going to a house party. Everyone in attendance had gone to high school with me. I decided to keep my wits about me, least anyone start doing something stupid. It ended up being the worst night of my life. Being sober around a bunch of drunk people was annoying. I began to notice how everyone’s stories sounded incredibly lame, ninety-nine percent of their conversations revolved around what they had drank at previous parties. It made me realize how stagnate most people are. They go to school, work, watch television, and hit the bottle. Nothing impressive.
That night I decided that I was never going to lead a life so empty that I’d need constant escapism from it. I wanted to be the guy who had so much going for him that he didn’t need to drink in order to have fun.