I used to be like everybody else. Taking my life and my job and stuff seriously or acting like it was important. But then i had a wake up call. Two seperate ones actually.
The first wake up call was the Army. Not so much the everyday stuff but for those who have seen any kind of action would know. Being put in a legitimate life threatening situation. The kind with real bullets and real people actually trying to kill you. When you come back from that and transition to civilian life everything seems different. You look at your coworker who is complaining about how the boss wants them to work some overtime or neighbors raising hell over kids running up stairs. Then you realize that in a previous time that very well might have been you. But not anymore. Why? How come its not a big deal anymore? How is it that i can laugh in my bosses face when he is exploding with frustration over the stupidest thing? Its simple really, there is no life threatening anything involved. There is no reason to get uptight or take it any kind of serious. Most people would say "Life is too short to take everything seriously all the time", I would say "Life is too short so dont take ANYTHING seriously at anytime." unless you are being shot at. Then maybe take a step back and focus. Could be important.
The second part of this revealed itself to me through a woman i had dated for a very short time years ago. A free spirit, always having a good time, never took anything seriously. It just seemed like a good quality, untill i met her kids. Her daughter the youngest of three was about 7 years old. She had a disease where the body treats the muscles as if they were an infection. She needed help to bathe or even change from laying down to sitting up on the couch. Cute kid, high spirited given her situation. I forget how it came up but she revealed the connection to me one night during a conversation. Told me that she has to maintain a positive attitude for her child and given what her daughter (being the one that is actually living with the disease) is going through that there is absolutely nothing that could happen to her (her being mom) that would be worth taking any kind of serious. The revalation didnt set in immediately. I thought it over in some depth over the next day or 2 and then put it together with the first wake up call.
When I put those 2 together and took a long hard look at my life it became clear. For most people there is nothing that takes place in a typical day that is worth the brain power of taking seriously. Getting pissed off when the boss gives you the shit job to do for the day and failing to remember how many would do that for half your pay just ot have a job. Laugh at the crazy lady downstairs complaing that you do your laundry at 10 at night because it disturbs her. Its not worth taking seriously and getting mad at. All these people I look at. Taking things so seriously. What would they do if they suddenly had to dodge bullets just to make it to there car to go to work each morning? Or simply leave the house everyday knowing that they might not come home that night? Sleeping as light as you can just in case of a surprise attack. Or even having a sick child that requires your abilty to see the funny in everything to draw strength from.
So the next time I piss you off because im making everything a joke (because you have thin skin) or just laugh in your face when you got mad and made it worse, Just remember i dont take anything seriously and then ask yourself if it is truly worth taking seriously.
Why so serious?
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