The Dream of Teeth and its Infamy

So I had a dream last night, a dream related to teeth.  Now anyone who’s anyone, who knows anything about dreams, know that teeth dreams are the ultimate bearer of bad news.  Not that I’m keeping a spreadsheet, but pretty much every single time I’ve had a tooth dream something bad has happened.  The level of horribleness varies from tooth dream to tooth dream, but something horrible does always happen. 

So as I go about my day, I’m just waiting for it.  What is this awful thing that is going to happen.  I carefully back out of my driveway avoiding any type of fender bender.  Go the speed limit.  Walk carefully.  Smile at everyone.  Oh there’s a dog maybe it’ll bite me.  Nope.  Go to the gym- maybe I’ll twist an ankle or something.  Nope.  Shower- maybe I’ll slip or have a really bad hair day.  Nope and nope. 

Time goes by and nothing has happened.  Nothing good, nothing bad, nothing out of the ordinary.  I’ve kind of forgotten about it by this point and kind of think wow I’m beyond paranoid.  But I mean there’s all these dream meanings and dream dictionaries- I can’t be wrong.  Then I get an automated text message from my dentist reminding me about a dentist appointment- which I need to reschedule.  And the mystery is solved.

Moral of this story:  Don’t worry about what hasn’t happened yet.  Because it may never happen.

Simplify

So every now and then I just want to write a completely self-deprecating blog post.  Usually on Sundays, because no offense to the Sunday freaks out there, Sundays totally suck (except for Sunday night TV, Sunday night TV is like a gift from God).  I'm not into having the pressure of trying to make the most of your last day off before the workweek starts, or the idea of family dinners that happen at 3pm (I'm Italian, I can say that).  But back to the point- sometimes I just want to go on and on about the woes and hardships of life.  Writing words that just break down my self esteem, make me feel sorry for myself, and then curl in a ball and hope I never have to get up.  But that’s just every now and then.

For the past few months I’ve been all about happiness and positive energy.  I've been unhappy for extended periods of time and I never want to feel that way again.  I never want anyone else to feel that way ever.  Do you really want to imagine your life next week and think this day is really going to suck.  No, and why should it?  You may not be able to control where you are in your life and what you’re currently doing with it, but you can control how you feel each second of each day. 

If I imagined my life 5 years ago as it is today, I would be horrified and disappointed.  But today, I’m happier than ever and completely satisfied with how it's all working out.  I’m not as judgmental.  I’m not as concerned of what other people think.  I don’t try to change what I can not change or wish things had worked out differently.  And I accept who I am and embrace it.  Sometimes I wish who I was could be more compatible with more members of society, but I can’t change it.  I wish I hated I clothes.  I wish I hated makeup.  I wish I liked gross things.  Or had a remote interest in the subject of science.  But without all that, it wouldn’t make me, me. 

Everything works out as its supposed to.  Everyone is the person they are for whatever reason.  It cant be reversed.  It shouldn’t be reversed.  I may want to change who I am at times.  Or where I am.  Or how I feel about certain issues.  Or how things happened.  Or didn’t happen.  But all that aside, think, “Is this moment, of this day, making me happy? And if it’s not, then how can I change it?” 

Without the hard times, you wouldn’t know how to be as great as the person you are today.  Or will be next year.  Or five years from now.  Simplify your mind.

It Can Always Get Worse

So I’m having a bad day.  But wait, let's stop right there, because aren’t I supposed to be having 100 days of happiness?  I don’t know that challenge is so ridiculous.  But when you think about it, do you really want to spend any day of your life unhappy? 

But its raining.  And not even normal raining.  It is like sci fi movie raining, ready to set  the tone for godzilla’s first attack.  I'm just waiting for a tornado to form and Noah's Ark to sail through with pairs of each animal.  

So as I drive an hour home in probably the worst rain I’ve ever driven in, I think, well it could be worse, right?  It can always be worse.  If you get stranded on a desert island it can always be worse.  So here’s how it could have gotten worse for me:

1.     I could not have a car.  I could be out in the rain waiting for the bus.  And then the bus could never come, and then I’d just be standing in the rain.  Alone.  And wet.  And then I'd realize my life really sucks because I have to take a bus everyday.

2.     I could get into a car accident.  Then I’d be stuck in the rain, and without transportation, and I’d have to wait for rescue and then deal with insurance agencies.  And then I wouldn't have a car.  And would have to take a bus (see above).

3.     I could get a flat tire.  And then have to wait for someone to come and change it, while I wait stranded in the rain.  And then realize, wow I'm not even capable of changing a flat tire?

4.     I could be driving through an actual river…oh wait it looks like this road is becoming a river.  Well at least I drove through the beginning part of the river forming.

5.     A zombie apocalypse could happen right at this moment.  And then I’d be fending for my life…in the rain.  I'd be soaked and grossed out.  

6.     My radio could stop working.  Then I’d just be driving in silence.  Or my radio could get stuck on one awful song (insert any Nickelback song), and I’d be forced to listen to that on repeat for an hour and a half.

7.     My windshield-wipers could stop working.  That would be an issue.

8.     I could not have a job.  Then I wouldn’t even be driving at all at this moment.  And that would totally suck.

9.     I could have just gotten my license a week ago and been horrified that this is what driving is like.

10. Okay I can’t think of a 10^th thing, this day seriously sucks and I could care less about this 100 days of happiness. 

So I get home.  Take two advil and take a very loooongg nap.  Then I wake up and turn on the news (accidentally) and OMG people are salvaging their belongings and being rescued by canoes.  Oh.  Oh. Oh? Yep… my day was not that bad in comparison.

Note: it can always get worse, don’t ask for it.  Embrace that the present is all you have to deal with.

To Do: Make A To Do List

I live each moment by a to-do list.  From the coffee I drink, to the movies I watch.  No exaggeration I include take a shower, eat breakfast, and watch tv on the same to do list as "complete this seriously hard assignment" and pay bills.  And I make a new one EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  Oh and then I have specific lists for books I need to read, stuff I want, movies I still need to see…which I check my progress on regularly.  Is this behavior neurotic?  Well I'm not exactly positive on what the exact definition of neurotic is, so I'd going to go with no, it's not.  So when I saw: “My future listograpy: All I hope to do in lists” I immediately had to purchase it.  I mean what other way is there to live than by checking things off on a piece of paper?  How do people function without one?  And those that do, are they productive members of society?  My biggest fear is dying and still having a to do list to accomplish.  Okay maybe that's an exaggeration (maybe).

Some of the lists were easy to fill out- places I’d like to see, adventures I’d like to go on.  But some were seriously hard-

• list artists I’d like to explore?  
• List moments I’d like to never forget?  
• Things I’d like to be fearless at?  I don’t know, I never really thought about it before.  Or really cared.  God, what kind of to-do list maker am I if I haven’t done any of this stuff?  
• Future Halloween costumes?  Ok at what age is dressing up for Halloween just sad? 
• List of festivals I’d like to go to?  Is there another festival besides a Renaissance festival
• Future date ideas? A movie?  I am so boring.

I never met a to do list I couldn’t make…until now.  I guess that’s why this book got published. 

I thought that at the age of 24, I’d been to a lot of places, tried a lot of things, and read a lot of books.  But I haven’t.  When you really sit down and think about it- it’s crazy the amount of experiences you’ve never experienced.  

I never knew that I knew so little.  You can study and dream your life away, but without experiences, then what does all that knowledge amount to?  When does it get to the point where you're putting the same thing on your to do list each day and you stop doing something new?  Maybe during the process of these experiences you’ll get burned or you’ll fail more than once, but at least you can say you were fearless.  And who knows what you might succeed at?

Goal: Put something new on your to-do list