Some things in life don’t make any sense. The only thing you
may know for sure is how much you love them. Like Twinkies, for example. Logically you know they are loaded with calories, have no
nutritious value, and are probably made with cream flavored embalming
fluid. In your heart you know they
are golden, delicious cakes that taste like home. They taste like afterschool snacks, the ones that usually
involved a tall glass of milk, and an episode of Duck Tales. Ahh, memories.
The other night I laid in bed wide awake listening to the train. The clang of the bell sounded like a timepiece, marking my life span in 15-minute intervals each time a new train passed through the station. Enjoy this world while you can, it said. Don’t take it for granted, it cried. You’re almost 30, what exactly are you doing with your life and when are you finally going to have children? Oh wait, that’s my mother’s voice in my head, not the train.
I decided to drown it out downstairs with some Thin Mint cookies and a healthy dose of “Bad Romance” blasting through my headphones. Perhaps it was just the rush of sugar in my bloodstream, but after polishing off the last sleeve in the box, I felt better and I realized something.
It’s the little things in this life that make it so wonderful. And I don’t have to win a Peace Prize, or an Oscar or invent something even better than the internet to live a significant, meaningful life. I can achieve it through the simple act of mindful gratitude for the small things around me, even things like Thin Mints or Twinkies or extremely repetitive dance music.
No Peace Prize, no Oscar, no internet-esque invention. You don't want to be Al Gore?! Eh. Life is measured by experiences, not by accolades.
I just figured out what I'm going to do with some of the $1 coins I've ordered. Rather than get eye rolls from the bank teller when I deposit them, I'll give them to the Girl Scouts outside Safeway.
Kids are bad! Not for everyone of course. For many it defines them, and if it's what you want then as long as you are able to handle the responsibility then I have no issue. Not that I would expect you to ever end up on Springer or Maury. :)
But not us. We'll never have children. So the potential grandparents may be disappointed - they can deal with it. For us, children would just be a hindrance on the way we like to live our lives and we're not going to fit into our society's idea that we need to strive for an ideal (theirs, not ours) nuclear family. And I know I'd always feel a tinge of resentment - those diapers and formula mean no U2 concerts, the braces I bought mean no weekend trip to Portland, Chicago or Boston, etc.
Posted by: Erik | 03/12/2010 at 01:30 PM
Yeah, I'll never be Al Gore and I'm okay with it.
Oh man, stay away from those little girls in green. I think I may have put on 5 pounds in the last week eating those damned cookies. And now that I think about the circumstances in which I purchased them, I recall it was the perfect storm. I had cash in my pocket (I almost never have real cash on hand), I was hungry and there they were looking so cute and innocent. Oh well. Back to the healthy food next week.
You know, I don't think I would mind kids...but it just hasn't happened for us. So no big deal. I now have time to pursue my masters degree and other fun things. And good for you guys for not letting society tell you what to do. Having children for the wrong reasons is bad for everyone involved. Although...I would have to say, that I would prefer smart people like you and Martina to procreate than the uneducated people that are always making the news or reality shows these days.
Posted by: Maria Holmes | 03/14/2010 at 11:04 PM