Give Me an "L"

Maude: A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. Reach out. Take a chance. Get hurt even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room. ~ Harold and Maude

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It has come to my attention that I might not be preparing as well as I might for my future. Certain people who love me very much are concerned that I have no savings, no money. (Well, so what else is new? When do people have all that they need, in the bank and in their hearts?)

I suppose it can be said that I'm at that part of my life where I am halfway to being dead. But who is not? And who knows what will happen tomorrow?

It's not that I'm profligate with my money; I don't have that much money to be profligate with. But if every penny I make goes in the bank and not to help me live my life while I live right now, I'll be retiring on what?--A lifetime of memories spent working for other people? An existence spent during the hours of 8:30am to 5:30pm?

During the week I make small choices: to go out to lunch and get a hamburger once in a while, or to eat a can of soup and take a dance class instead. Usually I opt for the dance class and the soup. But sometimes I opt for the dance class and the hamburger.

Neither the hamburger or the dance class costs enough money to help me retire comfortably. I suppose giving up a hundred thousand hamburgers or a hundred thousand dance classes would be a start towards something practical.

But I'm hoping that the enjoyment of having them might give me something to smile about when I am too old to eat the hamburger or get up out of my chair to dance.

If I live that long.

I don't want to retire on a dearth of experiences. I'll be old soon enough anyway, why start now? I'm not trying to be maudlin or sad, just practical.

But thank you for thinking of me...I love you, too.

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How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ~ Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

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From one of my favorite films, Harold and Maude:

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

Chorus:
You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
you see ah ah ah
its easy ah ah ah
You only need to know

Well if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
'Cause there's a million things to do
You know that there are