Mischief Managed

Come on, admit it – even you get mischievous thoughts every once in a while, don’t you? Of course, we all do. It doesn’t matter if you are 14 or 40, you still feel like letting down your hair every so often and doing something that is, well, naughty or childlike. (wink) If you were to say “no”, then I would have to say that you were most likely lying. It is not uncommon to want to break free from the mold and become something other than you normally are. What is life without a sense of adventure?

So, what shall it be? A little bungee-jumping? How about a trip to Key West just to get a slice of Key Lime Pie and bring it home to Wisconsin? Okay, maybe Key West isn’t the ideal place at this time with Hurricane Wilma about to hit bur I think you get my point. Living a stale life; just to get up in the morning, go to work, come home, and go to sleep – just to do it all over again in the morning. The problem is that our society has fashioned itself after the ideals of the rich and powerful. The more money you have, the more toys you have, and therefore the more powerful you are. (laugh) That is all well and good but what do you do in the meantime, suffer? Do you sacrifice your youth and your life just to please the Gods of power and money? If you do, then I will add you to my prayer list. If you do not, but are stuck somewhere in the middle, let me tell you that there is a way out.

Since music makes my soul sing, I don’t idly sing a song without hearing the words I am singing. It is for that reason that I am able to pull out a verse here and there that truly speaks to me. For instance, there is a song that is based solely on advice for teenagers. In it, there is a verse that says “do one thing every day that scares you”. A simple phrase and yet a powerful one. We, as humans, are motivated to stay away from that which we fear. Ironically, this practice is normal and yet, as we close on Halloween, we embrace death and fear. Life is not without a sense of irony. (laugh)

This does not mean that you should do something that may hurt either yourself or another living being just to get over your fear. This means that you should attempt to live beyond your fear and the stereotypes that are laid in front of you. I am sure that your parents told you once or twice that you “could not” do something. Being unable to do something is “could not” but not doing something because someone else tells you not to is “should not”. It is society that limits our abilities by telling us what we can and cannot do. Funny how society thinks it understands the condition of the human spirit and what we are physically capable of doing. If my husband had listened to this, he would have died as a child instead of living past the “childhood illness”. If I would have listened to the advice of society, I would not be as successful in Information Technology as I am, because, let’s face it, I am “merely” a woman. (big laugh) That is why it is important to understand that we can do things beyond what we, or society, believes. Our mind is the only limit to our true and authentic power, and it is fear that immobilizes the mind. So, if we are only limited by what we can imagine and dream, then, truly, we are without limits to our abilities and are capable of doing anything we can set our mind to – even being mischievous when we are, say, above the age of 30. (wink)

~Shannon
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