Right here, right now

((( Is this a trippy pic or what? )))

I don't particularly want to quote a Jesus Jones song name*, but what're ya gonna do if something works and nothing else comes to mind?

*No real problem with him/them except that his voice is very weak. Just doesn't come out over the music.

The point is, what's better than right now? Nothing, that's what.

Was it better when you were 5 and hit a ball without a tee for the first time? Of course.
Was it better when you were 12 and kissed a girl(/boy) for the first time? Heck yeah. (Ok, so I was 17 or something, who cares?)
Was it better when you were pounding beers at a kegger and threw up in the bushes and broke something important looking and never saw the host again except for that awkward moment when he rang you up at the Piggly Wiggly? Damn straight.

See a pattern?
It's always best right now. Now is when you know the most. Now is when you have the vast wisdom/shame of all that has gone before.
Have you ever thought of doing it all again? Sure, but what is always the caveat? That you get to take your knowledge with you.

Sure, that's easy! And from time to time I wish I could do it. Just to see.

But, really that would still make the new "now" the best time to be. I certainly expect there are people out there that would tell me to go chew a rock, and I feel for those whose life is horrible, but I also can't really identify with them. My life has never been more horrible than I've made it. I've got good health, an amazing family, brains, creativity, humor, opportunity, math skills, movie quoting skills...

For anyone that hasn't had things go completely kablooie, NOW is the best that your life has been. Even if some things are bad, overall it is the best time.

So celebrate it.

Take your shoes off in a public place and let people smell your stink.

Stand in a gutter barefoot in a really good rain and feel the current of the earth*.

*Technically, lava/"magma" would be the current of the earth, but it is frowned upon to stand barefoot in lava for obvious reasons (i.e. friends and family would be forced to say to strangers, "He seemed like such a smart/nice/sane/insert-complimentary-adjective-here boy)"

Pick your nose without seeing if anyone's watching.

Dance, dammit, dance.

Pick a day and eat a whole package of really good ice cream sandwiches (not the cardboardy cheap ones).

Put one hand on a tree and don't move it for an hour. See what the tree does and see if anyone talks to you. Then switch hands.

See if you can get as dirty, and care as little about it, as a 4 year old.

Eat snow.

Let a bee land on your hand, then stick your face in there (slowly now) and have a staring contest with it (you'll win since it'll ignore you) and then watch it closely and try to make sense of what it does.

Hug whenever you can.
Be amazed at literally everything (except smog of course) that happens in the atmosphere.
Smell a puppy every once in a while to get your head on straight.

And if you've given up on dragging your feet through autumn leaves just to hear the crunch and remember how sweet childhood was, then for the love of Ozzy's fungus riddled navel, just kill yourself cuz you've already given up.

Seriously, do something right now to reconnect to life. Who else is gonna do it for you? And who else can tell YOU how good it was.

Peace.

P.S. Always remember: Ear kisses and belly rubs make the world go 'round.

Ear kisses and belly rubs. Yeah.