Livin' Theories

Mark my words:

To live in the present is quite interesting.






(The photo above was taken the moment I started this post; simple symbolism that connects your brain to the idea I'm trying to convey.)

Recently I've taken a great amount of care to forget about past events (the bad ones, usually) and to stop worrying so much about the future.
Old fashioned ideals may state that to live in the present is to live like a fool, because they think this means that we young people aren't making responsible plans, responsible decisions, or responsible anything.

Is living each day as if it were your last an irresponsible thing to do?


Theory 1: Less Thinking, More Living

The Foam Cabinet is getting old, I must say. However, the great thing about the Foam Cabinet is that not much thought is required to open the Foam Cabinet.

I've heard a friend state that their cousin goes to a Catholic school somewhere, and he asked some logical, meaningful question to his professor. The professor's reply was along the lines of: "If you don't think about it too much, it'll make sense."

The more I think about the pros and cons of something, say: "Should I fill out a college application today?", the less productive I become. My initial thought is: "Yes! It is good to fill out college applications! Do it!" Eventually, that thought spirals downward through asking myself why? and why not? and what's the point? that I spent two hours mulling over the very thing I could have finished in those two hours. If you haven't experienced this, I admire your ability to not analyze every aspect of your thoughts.

Back to the Foam Cabinet: I opened the Foam Cabinet today and found a small variety of options. Here are what they were:

- Clean
- Sleep
- Eat
- Laze
- Write
- Anything Else Unacceptable

Being the person that I am, I immediately put labels on these words:

- Clean *productive
- Sleep *refreshing
- Eat *pleasant
- Laze *preferable
- Write *work
- Anything Else Unacceptable *not true!

With the door of the Foam Cabinet still open, I continued to dissect the meaning of each task (or lack thereof):

- Clean *productive (I've been told to do it many times, and although it is cold upstairs, I might as well do something before 3:00...)
- Sleep *refreshing (I'm probably suffering from too much sleep, though the idea of escaping from reality for a bit does sound fabulous...)
- Eat *pleasant (My mother already made plenty of good food, but food is still available, and I could probably snack on something minor while thinking about what to do next...)
- Laze *preferable (I do it all the time, and society looks down upon such behavior, but everyone else is doing it; why can't I...)
- Write *work (My blog hasn't been updated in months, and it was a commitment that I made to myself; I don't want to break commitments if I don't have to...)
- Anything Else Unacceptable *not true! (There is a plethora of things to do, and as long as something is done, anything else could be acceptable...)

I didn't get much done for a whole ten minutes, and didn't make a decision until after all my thoughts started to give me a headache. The good news, though, is that I chose: Eat, Laze, Clean, Write, Anything Else, and finally Sleep. Sadly, it took me longer than necessary.


Theory 2: It's Counterproductive to Live Anywhere But in the Present

This is purely opinion, but I can certainly back this up with facts:

- I already think enough as it is--thinking about the past too much wouldn't get me anywhere, and I'd probably die from pure reminiscence.

- Dreams of the future are just that: dreams of the future. They won't come true until they become goals, and those goals won't be accomplished if no attention is placed on the process of achieving them.

- Every time I live with the mentality that today is more important than yesterday or tomorrow, my motivation skyrockets, and I get things done in joy.



All this said, I'm not saying telling stories or making plans is a stupid idea. What I'm saying is that one should not live in those stories or dwell upon those plans. Just get the unpleasant stuff over with and have fun with everything else.

Now for closing: another picture of the present!

And Everyday

"And everyday that you wanna waste, that you wanna waste... you can!"   -- "Waste" by Foster the People

This statement is true. Does it mean it's right?

Look the song up, though. It's kind of catchy. *hums the tune*

Anyway, to prove a point, this post will be short.

Don't want to waste any of your time, now do I?

WAIT!!

I just had to waste a couple more seconds of your time to show you a couple terribly dumb pictures.

I just had to. Because I can.

Kitty Litter

Have you ever smelled that dusty, dry scent of cat litter?

Do you smell it every day? I do.

Fear not! For it has not been proven to give you cancer! (Though, eating it is not advisable.)



The Foam Cabinet, in all the Foam Cabinet's glory, gave me some kitty litter today. The stuff is rather unpleasant when whiffed in large doses (no, I do not intentionally inhale it), but it does serve a highly useful purpose: feline toilet.

Even though this rather drab box of grey pebbles doesn't look or smell pretty, it somehow keeps the feces of adorable little kitties away from bedspreads, walkways, kitchen counters, and piles of unkempt laundry. Praise for its usefulness!

I suppose the Foam Cabinet was telling me to do my daily chore of emptying these bundles of joy *sarcasm*. Either that, or the Foam Cabinet gave me a glimpse of what else in life is unsavory-yet-productive-and-beneficial.



Take plumbers. 

These guys get into your piping and use their superior skills to keep your water running. There's no fun in a toilet that doesn't flush everything down, or a sink that keeps gurgling up mystery goop. I personally would not like to be a plumber, but they do their jobs, make us happy, and earn decent coinage while they're at it. The average plumber makes $40,000 to $70,000 annually. Compared to a cashier at McDonald's (who would make from $10,000 to $21,000 a year), plumbers get quite the deal. Especially if they actually enjoy their job.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1851673,00.html
http://www.careerleak.com/salaries/mcdonalds/cashier/


Now how about janitors?


They have the lower end of the rope, really. They probably do a whole lot more work than most people, and they are subjected to the same average salary as someone who works at a fast food restaurant. What if they didn't do those unfavorable jobs? Wal-Mart wouldn't have shiny, squeaky floors. School bathrooms would be nuclear waste sites. No one would know how to get that vomit stain off the recreation center ceiling. Considering all the things they do, and all the things I wouldn't do, I'd probably pay them more.

http://www.infobarrel.com/Janitor_Salaries_Listed_by_State







Those two occupations are a couple of the many "kitty litter" careers. They aren't the only things to think about though, when it comes to litter boxes. What about partnering with the weird kid in your class? (Like partnering with me! The horror...) It's not necessarily the first thing I'd choose, and I could say the same for most other people. But, it is the best choice. Your teacher would probably secretly appreciate your cooperation. The weird kid might actually be a few more sprinkles of awesome than you. You might get a scholarship or win a big prize! All right, that may be stretching it, but you get the picture.

Cleaning the dishes.
Doing your homework.
Paying bills.
Sprucing up the house.
Walking the slobbery dog.
Cleaning the litter boxes.

All are tasks that have benefit that might actually equal (or outscore) the cost!

We all have jobs for a reason; we all work for some purpose. Even if it doesn't make sense at first, it's better to do than to drag your feet. I certainly can take a lesson from the kitty litter that the Foam Cabinet gave me this afternoon.