Butt... This is Important.

My favorite Parks and Recreation character, Ron Swanson, once said, “Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing.” I know, I know, listening to a fictional character known for his wisecracks probably won’t get me very far but I find this quote to be so stupidly simple that it’s one of the smartest things I’ve heard and is way too often overlooked.

Many people probably don’t even mean to half ass a lot of things. Maybe you just haven’t found what your passion is yet so you don’t want to fling yourself into something whole-heartedly only to decide later it’s not for you. How embarrassing that would be, if, heaven forbid, you failed at something you were giving your all to. Who honestly cares! It’s the fear that leads us to not try or to claim we aren’t giving it our all. We all know those people who when you beat them at something claim, “Oh well I wasn’t even trying so…” NOPE. YOU SHOULD’VE TRIED. BECAUSE I WON. And I didn’t just win because you “weren’t trying.” LIAR. So I still have some unresolved feelings about this basketball game I played in 3^rd grade... I’m working through it. ONWARD…

Find something you like doing and do it all the time. Unless it’s drugs. Or other illegal things that I shouldn’t encourage. But really, how can you expect to get good at something if you only do it from time to time. If you want to last, you have to whole ass it your whole life. Refuse to be a one hit wonder. What’s the point of doing anything halfway? Here’s half your wedding cake, enjoy! Here’s half a chair, it might be a little unstable but I got bored making it. Here’s the top half of your boat, good luck in the water, man! Why even show up if you aren’t going to try. Waste of time. Don’t do things halfway because really, nobody likes getting a flat tire in Kansas when they were on their way to California. You would never stop there and be like okay well I guess Kansas is good enough maybe I’ll just vacation here instead. That doesn’t happen, or if you are a person who would be okay with that I truly believe you should seek some kind of help because what. Kansas versus California. Ponder that, humans.

Finish your thought, complete your masterpiece, set out to be a legend, leave behind a legacy. Your whole ass exists, now just moon everybody and show them what you’ve got. Please not literally or you will most likely be cited for public indecency and may have to register as a sex offender. Carry on.

Disclaimer: I do not own this photo and am not YET affiliated with the show Parks and Recreation but in my very unprofessional professional opinion you should probably watch it.

Zoo Learn or Zoo Not Zoo Learn

People always say your job teaches you things... worthwhile things that you'll need in the real world. Things like timeliness, honesty, how to deal with coworkers, good work ethic, etc. I don't think these people considered those who work at a zoo. We learn those things AND a whole bunch of other useless stuff as well. Let's concentrate on the useless stuff just for good measure because really, no one came to my blog for a lecture, but if you did, I'm glad you're here but I'm not a parent or a professor so you can just go to your room...?

USELESS STUFF IS MY PRIDE AND JOY. Useless stuff is the fun stuff. The stuff you don't need to know but is usually somehow the saving grace in times of weird struggles. For example, had I not learned how to use a trash compactor, how could I ever be expected to properly work a garbage disposal in my own sink. Pushing a button, flicking a switch, it's basically the same concept, INCREDIBLE. You all can pick your jaws up from the floor but prepare for them to be dropped again... Had I not learned how to squeegee the monkey's glass, how could I ever have known how to properly clean my windshield while waiting for my car's gas tank to be full? Yeah, you don't even know! What about this one, had I not learned how to sweep empty capri suns into my dustpan, how could I ever become a substantial housewife?! Without this job I would be half the cavewoman I am today! While I am poking fun at my place of work, I really do enjoy the zoo and all the lessons(?) it has taught me. The complete list of what I have learned thus far is as follows and is subject to additions by the end of my employment.. so next week...

1. If you are wearing a zoo uniform of any kind, people expect you to know all the animals' names, weights, types of fur, what country they hail from, why they're not moving, etc. I really just pick up trash, people.

2. If a visitor asks you where a certain animal is, you can point in any general direction and get them to leave you alone.

3. Kids often like to alert you of an animal they believe to be dead or dying. Little girl, the bird was under the rock because you scared it not because it was injured. Also, the baby vulture was not eaten by it's parents as initially reported to me by the Lemon Ice stand boy.

4. Lost children don't like being lost.

5. Parents of lost children don't seem to mind as much.

6. Pregnant women like to show their fetuses animals that they cannot yet see.

7. Cleaning a zoo is about as much fun as it sounds.

8. The things behind "keep out/employee only" signs aren't as cool and secretive as I once thought.

9. Kids love to rub their greasy hands all over glass surfaces.

10. People often only miss the trash can by a slim margin yet don't follow through on the effort.

11. The elephants dislike people as much as me and sometimes toss tires at them for good measure.

12. People often ask extremely intelligent questions such as, while leaning on a bathroom sign, "where is the nearest restroom?" or whilst standing in the cafe, "where can I get some food around here?"

13. Children are infatuated with the rolling trash bins, and no I do not give rides. For free.

14. Code for vomit is 1055.

15. Baru, the 17ft crocodile is the biggest diva we have at the zoo besides myself. He refuses to eat the food he is given because he used to eat whole cows when he lived in Australia. Tough luck, bro, this ain't no Gold Coast.

16. When your boss calls and wakes you up when you oversleep, the response "I must've worked too hard yesterday." only works the first time.

17. There are only so many supply closets to hide in.

18. Calling yourself "garbage girl" or a "garbitch" doesn't make you any more popular with your coworkers.

19. Grown men sometimes have accidents and STILL refuse to ask for help. Sir, you left a trail of your fecal matter at the zoo, let's set your ego aside for a quick second while you go change your pants.

20. It's hot out in the summer.

If you wish to learn more about the zoo... you can go zoo yourself. Zoo many zoo jokes.
Please go work there yourself because I'm pretty much over it by this point. Or just watch my instagram videos: http://instagram.com/atice18

The Beginning of the End Means You're Closer to "Happily Ever After"

Endings can be difficult. Sometimes they mean moving on from something you love or the only thing you knew but sometimes they lead to the best thing to ever happen to you. Endings mean the route of familiar is over and you’re on the ramp to weird, and uncomfortable. Some welcome the fresh start. Some struggle to let go of their past. Both of these reactions are understandable. For example, how do you ever get over a divorce? You promise forever to this person and then suddenly they aren’t holding your hand every step of the way anymore. If that’s not horrifying I don’t know what is. Or on the flip side, you’ve just gotten out of a terrible relationship and you finally feel like you have a handle on your life again. This is a clean slate, you can go anywhere, be anyone, achieve anything and you couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity. Inevitably the start of the change is the hardest part. I think that’s part of the reason people try to avoid change altogether.

For the people who are terrified of endings, like myself for example, I have good news that the optimistic side of my brain decided to shed light on recently. Yes you may not have wanted this ending, you may have not even seen it coming, but that doesn’t mean just because you weren’t the one to initiate this change that you don’t get to experience the benefits of this new beginning as well. It’s never too late to become what you might’ve been. I know I’ve written about this quote before but it rings true once again. Let’s go with this hypothetical story…  you’re 54, just signed divorce papers and dang it your work doesn’t like you either so you got fired. Many would say F*!@ life just screwed me. Pretty positive I would absolutely say the same… at first. However, stepping back, viewing the situation from an outsider’s perspective, what you would be able to see is no ties.

You can do anything you want. You are on your own which is undoubtedly going to be lonely at times, but you don’t have to answer to anyone, unless you don’t pay your bills, DO NOT GO THIS ROUTE I REPEAT DO NOT GO THIS ROUTE. But you can buy a ticket and travel anywhere (money permitting) talk to anyone, dance like an idiot, read books all the time, become a hermit, join a competitive gardening club, just looked that up, they do exist! You can be free. Reinvent yourself, don’t dwell on the past, it’s over, and never coming back. Even if it tries get back in your life it wouldn’t be the same so don’t do it. Don’t look back. Think of it as if something that was dragging you in the wrong direction has finally fell off.  

The whole world's in front of you. Palm Desert, CA.

I guess what I’m trying to get across is, no matter how difficult endings may be for all involved, they can honestly lead you to greener pastures. Full of fat cows you can trick into paying your bills. In all seriousness, there is so much to discover in this world and as hard as it is, sometimes you have to leave the familiar behind in order to reach your potential and become all you were meant to be.  “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great.” Appreciate the journey.

Lost in Translation

I guess it's ironic that I'm writing this post online. You'll find out why soon enough...

A pen and paper; the greatest love story ever told? There's something that is way more personal about a pen gliding along the blue lines as opposed to fingers falling heavily upon a keyboard. I'm not old fashioned, in fact some would say I have no fashion at all (topic for a different time), I love technology as much as the next person, however, when it comes to writing, all I want is a pen and paper. All I need is a pen and paper. Oftentimes I'll be typing up an essay for school and be having the most difficult time getting started.

Computers come with so many distractions built right in and I fall victim to these traps almost 100% of the time. I can get lost looking through old photo albums, listening to music, or randomly find myself scrolling through a social media site for the third time in five minutes reading updates about topics I could care less about. However, if you give me a notebook it's mine to infect with ink. Sure sometimes I will still get distracted and end up doodling the strangest pictures but even then it's my own creation. It is a design that is all mine. I think that's what I appreciate the most about this whole pen and paper love affair.

In fact, I am currently writing this post to put off my research paper about Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury. Coincidentally I think the book has inspired much of this rant. The novel is all about a futuristic society where technology has alienated almost all of its citizens. If you've read it, you know that the book went to extremes because it had "firemen" intentionally set fires to homes that contained books. Bradbury had the right idea about the influence of technology deeply impacting everyone, however, he foresaw it differently than what is actually happening right before our eyes. Nonetheless I believe it's important to maintain intact with the non technological aspects of life as well.

This isn't me asking you to move to the middle of nowhere with no electricity or chuck all of your devices into the ocean, but to merely understand that we survived without all of this stuff. That's all it is. Stuff. I'll admit we need some of this stuff but what we really need are people. The anonymity that technology provides distances us from these personal relationships that are vital to our survival. More face-to-face conversations, less facetime. More  hands with pens, less fingers on keys, more sharing your humor, less sharing a link. When we lose ourselves so deeply in technology we miss out on real life opportunities to connect. It's kinda terrifying if you think about how often people text others who are sitting in the same room as them. Forget your phone at home once in a while, I promise it won't be the end of the world. Atleast not yet.

I mean my cousin even has the right idea and she's six here. 

Same Love

With all the recent news on Proposition 8 and what not I decided to put my opinion out there. That's what blogs are for... right? Well read on if you wish, however, I can't promise that you'll love what I have to say. Hopefully you won't hate it either.

The United States of America has what I like to call a "gay-ping hole in logic." Our country is supposedly all about freedom yet so many people are locked in their own closets shielding themselves from hate and unequal treatment. Macklemore had it right when he sang, "America the brave still fears what we don't know, and God loves all his children is somehow forgotten, but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago." I consider myself a Christian. I am not overly religious but I believe in God and I believe He sent His only son to die for me because He loved me that much. How can a guy with that much love have any room for hate? Especially for one of His own? God won't love someone because they have feelings for someone of the same sex. I don't understand that and more importantly I don't buy it.

Listen to "Same Love" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Maybe that makes me a bad Christian and maybe some of you think I am not worthy of being considered one at all. How can you argue love AGAINST love when love IS love. Who are we to judge each other and tell one another "you can love him but DON'T YOU DARE LOVE HER." The same thing happens in heterosexual relationships... people always feel like they need to let you know their opinion: "don't date that guy, or him, or him, DEFINITELY not him, ew!"

The fantastic thing about love is that it picks you. You told yourself you'd never fall for him or her and then there you go tripping down the stairs again. Maybe not literally, but still. The fact that we do not allow gay marriage everywhere is simply ridiculous. Hey remember that time when we all read in our history books about slavery and how whites and blacks were segregated and interracial marriages were disgusting and the worst thing to ever happen? Then remember when we fast forwarded to now and look back feeling like idiots because there is nothing wrong with that union just like there is nothing wrong with gay marriage or relationships in general. 

When my kids read in their history books about how long this dumb argument took to reach the simplest solution I hope they realize how hilarious it is and how stupid we were being all along. If we keep making these same mistakes we will never learn. Grow up, America. Love is love no matter who it involves, embrace that or keep your hate filled mouth shut because it's people like you who are going to comment "wow what a gay post" on this blog. Is that supposed to be insulting? Really?

LOVE Y'ALL.

I'll Have A Whole Slice of A Dream, Please!

Remember those great ideas you get so excited about that you start visualizing everything going perfectly in your head? I call those halfway dreams. You may be wondering, "why is it only half?" Well, these plans can lead to the most exhilarating feelings in this world, that is, until you slam headfirst into a wall called doubt. The doubt wall is made up of all kinds of doubts and you'll hit it just around the same time you take the "Second-Guessing Exit." 

This wall is one hurdle that we take as a sign to throw in the towel and stop before we really achieve anything at all. What people fail to realize is that in a race with hurdles, there is always a first hurdle, with a few more after that to be sure, but there is always, always, a last hurdle as well. We see the first one and send our dreams running for the hills. 

The society we exist in projects images into our heads of what we should want and how we should go about attaining our dreams and it even tries to tell us how to dream. These images sometimes predispose us into believing we cannot do something which, I think, is a large reason for these halfway dreams. Maybe that's not it; maybe you have a dream so extreme no one else has even attempted to achieve it before. The wall of doubt you may encounter on this route goes by "fear." 

Humans fear the unknown. We fear to fail and we fear what others will think of us if we do not or can not reach our dreams, or even sometimes, when we do. 

Oftentimes these halfway dreams are not even just halfbaked ideas. We plan them out and are all set to go but merely stop in the middle after hitting an impasse. Sometimes we embark on these journeys and at one point or another pull a U-turn and head back into the waiting, open arms of familiar.

The unknown is scary, yes, but what's even more terrifying is the fact that we are living in a world full of people not chasing what they truly want. Almost all of us are slackers in that aspect. You may be the hardest working employee your company has ever seen, but if you're not living your dream, well, you're not living your dream. Okay so that sounded a little anticlimactic but it really is as simple as that. 

The biggest disservice you can do to this world and yourself is to settle. Settling is quitting or stopping because you don't want to try harder. Go NIKE on your life and "Just Do It!" If you don't, you run the risk of watching someone else live your dream and it's difficult to imagine anything worse. Alright everyone, eyemasks on, earplugs in, and happy dreaming! (NOTE: don't forget to wake up and get after it!)

A Wonderful Life

There's something that is so fascinating about being human. I think it has partially to do with the fact that we are all so flawed. We are constantly messing up most of the things we are trying to accomplish and it can be extremely frustrating thinking you're never doing anything right. But imagine if we were all perfect. There would be nothing to look at. Nothing to see, because we would all be exactly the same. I cannot even begin to imagine how boring that would be.

A quote by Augusten Burroughs says it best, "I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions." Even when we try to do everything right, things will inevitably go wrong. That's not me being pessimistic, it's realistic. The world is a tough place and bad things happen to good people and all that jazz. We make mistakes every second we breathe. I think a lot of times we pick out things that other people do wrong and say, "Oh my gosh, I cannot believe they did that!" I, myself, have fallen victim to this time and time again. But somewhere along the line, you realize that neither of you are perfect and it's important that you "don't judge someone just because they sin differently than you."

This post isn't meant to turn you into a hippie and encourage you to run around screaming, "PEACE ON EARTH!" every second of your life. But before you make rude comments about anyone else or judge others, realize that you have probably been in their place before. They might have the greatest intentions on this planet and just haven't figured out how to maneuver through their flaws yet. No one will ever find the perfect roadmap to navigate out of their less-than-ideal qualities. We all need to embrace our flaws and respect that others are hopefully doing the same.

When in doubt, take it from Opa and just "Love God. Love People."

Alfred Velius March 28th, 1918-February 3rd, 2009

http://ashkalimba.blogspot.com/2010/02/can-you-imagine.html

This is a link to my sister's blog post about Opa from three years ago. Helps you to understand what a weird guy he was and therefore what weird people we are! HA!

Adventures of an Insomniac Part One

When you suck at sleeping, you write. When you suck at writing, you write anyways because you figure an internet challenged noob will stumble upon your blog eventually and fall madly in love with it and consequently, with you and then all will be well with the world. Here's to hoping. FINGERS CROSSED. Just kidding about the whole finding a boyfriend thing but for real, when you can't sleep and your mind's just thinking all this random nonsense, I thought it could potentially be interesting to scribble some of it down. (Upon re-reading this I discovered it's not, but by all means, carry on).

SIDENOTE: The "t" key is not working up to i_'s normal standards righ_ now and it's really bugging me because I have _o push it ex_remely hard and I am not mentally or physically prepared enough for this battle. I will try extra hard just for you potential future husband, boyfriend, friend, blog stalker, sad soul who accidentally ended up here.

First random late-night thought first... the ability to talk to ourselves is so strange. So many of you (or not because no one reads this) just rolled your eyes and said, "you're actually crazy." Um okay sassy, shush for a second and hear me out...  I am not talking about the kind of talking to yourself that occurs out loud. I am talking about the kind that happens inside your own mind. In your head, how you plan out what you will say, write, do. I am writing this in my head before I put it on here. I'm speaking it but only I can hear it. There's an actual voice inside my head and I am semi-crazy but haven't been committed yet so I'm hoping others have this voice too. Why is talking in your head called thinking? If my brain just asked itself that, why doesn't it know the answer? Have I taken one too many hits to the head? Yes. Well it answered that one almost instantaneously. Great. Part of my own brain waged war upon the part of my brain that thought it would be a good idea to write this post. I don't know which side to cheer for.

For me and maybe a few others of us, it's easy to forget that your mind can be your own worst enemy. The brain is only as smart as you let it become. Sometimes it will fight you. Sometimes it'll win and make you think lowly of yourself for absolutely no good reason. Retaliating isn't the answer to many things in this life but in this case, it's necessary. You can't let your mind determine everything you do. Your heart deserves some say. But that, my friends, is for another late night rambling that will hopefully never happen again.

I am now accepting donations towards NyQuil, getting me a CT scan, or a tempurpedic bed. Goodnight.

Tomorrow is Today.

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." This might be the most comforting quote I have ever heard. I'm not sure who says it and even if the author was the most hated person on this earth, this would still probably be my favorite quote. My family has this saying hanging on a sign in our kitchen. Most days I would walk by it without so much as a second glance or even a passing thought. But on nights like tonight where my brain is in overdrive and won't stop thinking, I can hear the quote. There's something about it that is so inexplicably calming to me and if I even think about it a wave of relief consumes me. It slows my thoughts down to a manageable pace and I just feel better.

Scotland 2012

I'm not one to worry constantly about my future or where I'm going in life but that doesn't mean I never think about how my friends all already know what they want to major in and do for a living and have plans. I feel like I put myself behind because I didn't think about this enough when I was younger. All I have ever been is a dreamer. And I know I'm not the only one. When it came to actually doing things, I think I thought they would happen if they should and they wouldn't if they shouldn't. Most of the time I still think that way and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Typically I try to leave things up to God but sometimes I can't help but hear Him say, "Gee, I'm doing a lot of the heavy lifting on Alexis' life and she's gotta start pulling her own weight sooner or later."

I love telling myself that He has a plan for my life and everything will work itself out. Doesn't mean I don't worry that it won't. This is where the quote comes in handy. Before I get too down on myself or feel too defeated, I read it. Everyone needs something like it to look to. Find a quote and take it in, soak it up, breathe it out, and go. If you want to change the world right now, go. If that means you're going to get your crazy intelligent friends together and figure out a cure for cancer, snaps for you. If it means that you're going to buy yourself the toiletpaper that you've needed since last week, kudos, disgusting sir. We interpret these sayings in different ways and that's ultimately the cause of our effects. What will force you to become the best you you can possibly be? Discover that and you've already won. It's undoubtedly the scariest and most exhausting part, but the journey up until that discovery is literally what we are all living for. Who are you going to be tomorrow? 

Awkward Alexis Edition 1

Life really is hilarious sometimes. I don’t know about you guys but I chuckle at the dumb things I do, strange things that happen to me, and awkward things I encounter, almost constantly. Makes me think that the big man upstairs does have quite the sense of humor. That or I did something really terrible years ago and the karma is still making its rounds. Who knows.  Not me.

On a daily basis I can come up with numerous occasions that I make a fool out of myself. Some of these stories that I will share may seem dumb and not noteworthy but I assure you if you were in my shoes, your face would be red with embarrassment probably permanently. Good thing it takes a lot to make me blush. Let’s begin with yesterday.

It’s the beginning of the semester and so it was my first time going to my television production class. I was super excited because I am so intrigued by the entertainment industry lately, not quite sure why. I’m guessing it’s because I feel as if my life is secretly being recording and I’ve been getting Punk’d since birth. Anyway, I was very excited to go to this class however, it was after my soccer practice and so I was napping and didn’t realize until 5:16 that my class was at 5:30 and I had no idea where the room was.

I vroom vroom beeched it over to the building and scurried to a directory map, which first of all, is kind of embarrassing in of itself because I am not a freshman. Oops. I searched feverishly for the room 1942 but all of the classrooms were in the 1500s. Good sign. It was now quite close to 5:30 and I had remembered reading on the syllabus the professor emailed us that he hated when people were late. Oops again. I finally found 1942 and the map showed that it was basically outside in it’s own little building. I didn’t really understand but hit the ground running.

I took a little jog down the hallway and was about to exit the building in defeat before I turned to my left and saw a sign with an arrow saying “TV Studio” Yesssssssssssssssssssssss. I really did want to go to the class and now I didn’t feel completely stupid. That was until I walked through the first door and discovered this wasn’t my class but in reality advisers’ offices and a weird production room. I put my head down and plowed through following the signs until I basically fell into the studio that doubled as my classroom. It was smushed full with people I didn’t know. Of course they were all staring at me because the leather arms on my letterman jacket kept whacking the expensive equipment in the room as I tried to squeeze my way into a tiny desk. I caused a scene and find that ironically appropriate that it happened on a TV set.  

When I was finally seated and kind of feeling accomplished for making it there only a few minutes late and nothing too embarrassing had happened, my professor asked me to come to the front of the room to sign in. FIRST OF ALL, why is this necessary there’s like 20 kids in the class? The lazy bum that seems to be my stunt double thought, “dude just call out our names and waste the class time for real.” When I was feeling motivated enough I got up and strolled to the front of the room like the cool kid I wish I was. Upon signing my autograph and pretending I was famous, I turned around and realized my jeans were loose and my fly was down.

Already Awkward Little Lex

In that situation there’s nothing you can do. If you try to make it look like you’re just scratching there people get all weirded out and scoot away for fear you have some disease but if you just straight up go for the fly everyone notices. I chose the latter and there were some snickers. If nothing else, I gave someone a laugh and no one will forget my name. Holla, Almost Famous, Holla. Making it one embarrassing moment at a time.

This is just one uncomfortable moment that I am using to demonstrate how weird happenings surround me. I have many more stories to tell from throughout my 19 years of existence and I can’t wait to encounter more awkward circumstances. I’ll keep ya weirdos posted so you can all live vicariously through me and maybe avoid some of the embarrassment that I experience. You’re welcome.

VROOM VROOM BEECHES

Writing is something that I’ve never particularly liked to do. Ironic that I now have a blog where it is kind of mandatory to write. I think I like this kind of writing because it’s on my own terms. No word limit, no topic, and no due date. I can write to you like I am right now, or never again, there is no clock chained against my blog.

So many things today have a time limit on them. Allegedly it’s bad to eat Cheetos that are 2 years old. A few years back I ate those expired cheese puffs from my friend Elise’s pantry and I’M STILL ALIVE, PEOPLE.  Now I’m not saying eating expired foods is always a good idea because expired yogurt is nasty. Yes, I am speaking from experience again. That was not a strawberry chunk… that was mold. HOWEVER I AM STILL BREATHING YET AGAIN. Anyways that’s beside the point.

Deadlines in life are there for different reasons. To scare the crap out of you if it’s a big project, to make you bums actually do something productive with your life, and to just get things done in a timely manner. Deadlines are awful.  In some cases they are completely necessary such as for schoolwork because of the limited amount of days. But for other things they can seem so final and so abrupt.

They try to tell me that since this time has passed I can’t do something anymore. They create ridiculous expectations that shouldn’t be there such as “I should be married by 23 and have a family by 25.” DUMB. I mean, if that was completely your idea then fine, but if you just feel that you need to do this and achieve this by this time because society told you to, I feel bad for you. I see that as a sad conformity.  (This video is me as a young child showing that you have more fun dancing on your own schedule during a recital... at least until you get yelled at.)

We live on our own timetables. We’re not born at the same time; we mature at different speeds, and learn various things. Why should we listen to the same deadlines if in every other aspect of timing in our lives we aren’t at the same stage? Mario won’t jump to lap two of Mario Kart just because Yoshi got there. Clocks try to tie us down and in many ways we let them. However if we refuse to meet deadlines society sets for us, (except for those in school and work ya lazies), we will be able to live more freely and happily. 

Time is a gift. It does run out for each individual eventually and we need to quit shaking the hourglass.