Just say "No"

Liberation from the ties of a very big world is sometimes hard to come by. How often are we really able to escape EVERYTHING that's necessary to submit to? Studying, a work schedule, Facebook, and always giving out our name (Really, count how many times you give this information on a normal day)? Or even waking up in the morning, when we have to say "yes" to a new day? Yes to paying the cable bill, yes to reading the newspaper, yes to a godawful babysitting job, yes to a beach date even though I was just there the day before, yes to living life the way that I'm expected to, making my own money, paying my own rent, using my own phone line, drinking my own soy milk, sweeping my own porch? Yes to speed limits, prices, the time, time zones, the color of a pencil? For all of these, we cannot choose our own.

I don't realize my innate desire to scream "No!" just every so often until I'm given the chance to. It's when I am able to finally make a choice of my own that I realize how many yeses I give in one day alone. It happened just the other day when I turned on my GPS in an unfamiliar city, plugged in my address, and began to follow the given directions. But before I arrived at my exit, I got all curious about what else lie off the highway. So I turned early, and Jill wasn't happy. Watching her "recalculate" made me giggle, which made me wonder if I was okay. I was laughing at a GPS for pete's sake. Why was this so much fun? Why did I all of a sudden have the cruel intention of continually pissing off the Garmin? Because it was so easy to say "no".

I continued to create my own route, not oblivious to where Jill was directing me to turn around, but absolutely aware of where I was wanted and diligent about not allowing her the satisfaction of leading me home. At least not for the moment. And so it went, me in control behind the wheel, scoffing the GPS that was only trying to help. I didn't know until after it cracked, but a genuine, only-found-on-this-face-with-true-happiness-present smile (teeth and all!) had taken over my face. It was the simplest (and silliest) way to say "no" without offending, shocking, confusing, or otherwise giving anyone the discomfort that would have come about had I said "no" to, say, that girl in the stall next to me who reached under and asked so nicely for a wad of T.P.

If you don't own a GPS, I really don't know what to tell you. Use a compass? Most people of this century (well, not of because technically I am not, but living in this century) do have one, however. I highly recommend this therapeutic de-stresser the next time you find yourself tightly bound to this earth. Because really, who follows the speed limit anyway? Haven't you ever heard of bargaining for a better price, your willingness to pay? Find a broken watch- you'll never have the right time except twice a day, but you'll never know what those two times are if you use no other clock. Or just don't look at one. You can always travel a few hours (in my case west) and change your time zone. And pencils come in all colors now, so you can choose your color. Don't listen to what I said earlier.

So go on. Cut your ties. Say no. Elevate yourself.

Note: I realize that my helpful suggestion may act contrary to what I claimed in my last post, but please know that I am sharing an experience, and I think that you might find it just as rewarding.