#YOLO

Today as we were leaving the gym, my friend Alison said "You find a lot of reasons not to do things." (This was in response to me wanting to put the moves on a cute boy at the gym, then finding every reason imaginable not to do so, number one being no one looks cute when they don't ACTUALLY know how to use the gym equipment).  But as I'm sitting here whacking myself across the head for not at least saying "hi", I realize she's right.

I've learned how to say "yes" to a lot of things in the last 21.75ish years. For example, I no longer have a problem with cheeseburgers. And I will join your game of water volleyball if you ask, even though you totally don't want me on your team because I am a terrible water volleyball player. However, there is a very long list of things that I will talk myself out of until I'm blue in the face (like the high dive at the pool) and, 95.7% of the time, I regret not doing them.

As Drake so astutely put it, "You only live once, that's the motto, YOLO." Dude has got a point. We are given a very limited amount of time on this planet to get stuff done. As I get older and time starts to fly faster I am struck with a strong desire to LIVE, in all capital letters. More and more, when I let an opportunity pass me by, I regret it. Sometimes it's little, like Cute Gym Boy. But sometimes it's big, like ignoring the homeless person walking past me even though my heart is screaming to do something. And it all boils down to the same thing: fear. I'm afraid of what will happen if I take that risk, and that fear becomes crippling.

But then there is this little gem: Jesus has called his followers (das me, yo) to live as he did. And he did not let a single moment pass him by. His entire life was lived with the greatest intention and focus. He saw opportunities in every moment and he took them every time (I mean, he coulda left Zaccheus up in the tree, am I right?). In the book of Acts, there is story after story about men and women who modeled Christ and YOLO'd the heck outta their lives (did I just make YOLO a verb? I apologize). "If we only live once and so does everyone else," they probably said, "we better get as many of them on Team JC as possible. Let's do this thang, y'all." What. A. Risk. Yet that is exactly the kind of no-fear, balls-to-the-walls approach that makes life so exhilarating! Right?!

If I could, I would be fearless. I guess the next best thing is to be courageous, and take risks even though it's sometimes terrifying. Big stuff, little stuff, silly stuff, serious stuff, ALL THE STUFF. Whether it's jumping into Frog Fountain at midnight or boldly sharing my faith or saying "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy...", now is the time for action.

I'm going to carpe the hell out of this diem, and all the ones to follow. Join me?