I was taking Nez back to Irvine after our Disneyland adventure, and we began talking about "all-nighters" (the times people stay awake an entire night to finish a project, schoolwork, etc.). I told her that I was completely against things like that, and on my way to Irvine today, I had heard a song that personified my feelings. The song was "Next Thing On My List" by Toby Keith (I really am going through a Toby Keith phase, but he's just a great singer). At first I was just going to put the line that stood out to me, but I reread the lyrics for the song, and the entire song is applicable to life. I'll put the music video at the end of the post.
"Under an old brass paper weight,
is my list of things to do today
go to the bank and the hardware store,
put a new lock on the cellar door
I cross em off as I get em done,
but when the sun is settin'
there's still more than a few things left I haven't got to yet.
Go for a walk, say a little prayer, take a deep breath of mountain air,
put on my glove,and play some catch, it's time that I make time for that.
Wade the shore, cast a line,look up an old lost friend of mine
sit on the porch, and give my girl a kiss, start living
That's the next thing on my list.
Wouldn't change the course of fate, if cutting the grass just had to wait,
cause I got more important things, like pushing my kid on a backyard swing
I won't break my back for a million bucks I can't take to my grave, so why put
off for tomorrow what I could get done today.
Like go for a walk, say a little prayer, take a deep breath of mountain air,
put on my glove, and play some catch, it's time that I make time for that
wade the shore, cast a line, look up an old lost friend of mine
sit on the porch, and give my girl a kiss, start living
That's the next thing on my list.
Raise a little Hell, laugh till it hurts,put an extra five in the plate at
church, call up my folks just to chat, it's time that I make time for that.
Stay up late and oversleep, show her what she means to me, catch up on all the
things I've always missed, just start living
That's the next thing on my list.
Under an old brass paper weight is my list of things to do today."
You'll spend your whole life working your ass off for money to live comfortably. I understand that providing for your family requires one to bring in enough money so that you can provide a better life for your children than you had, and that it's an integral part of our society, but where does the line between working and living end. Many of my friends never take a break from schoolwork/studying, and it makes me sad. I'm not as sad that I don't get to hang out with them as I am sad that I can see them putting precious years of their life on hold for something that's going to require them to put even more years of their life on hold just for the dollar. Make time for the important things in your life like friends, family, and the experiences you have. Like the song says, you can't take a million bucks to the grave. What you leave behind is the experiences, the relationships, and the love and legacy you pass on to the people who are still here.
A group of COMM 464 students came to give a presentation to my COMM PR Writing class on Wednesday, and they scared the heck out of me. They described the class as real world working experience, but some of them also said that it was so much work that they had to quit their jobs and put their friends and family on the back burner. I don't know about you, but I cherish my relationship and having money to go out and do things, and this class sounds like it's going to try its best to prevent that. I'm not against working hard, but there's a difference between doing what you love and doing it for the grade. Grades aren't life, they're numbers. What you learn, what you do, and who you share it with, now that's LIFE.
I can be myself around Nez, and there's only a handful of people I see anymore that I can say that about now: Jaimee, Scuba, Nez, and Julisa. Is that it? I feel like I hardly see anyone now that I used to be close-close with. Times are changing, but having fun is still there, and I'm glad I've been able to reconnect and have fun with some of my favorite people this week.
This guy worked his whole life, but for what:
LOL @ the guy next to Nez and the Asian girls in front of us. The girls got punked by a ride attendant before getting onto Tower of Terror. This photo has everything you could ever want from a spontaneous ride shot. Disneyland with Nez is poppin'.
