Sundry Thoughts

I have been thinking as of late about life, future possibilities, and where my focus lies. Actually, correct that - I have been thinking about avoiding thinking about all those things. If that makes any sense to you at all. And, as happens sometimes, I began to think about things outside what immediately affects me right now. Cultural, political, societal, generational, etc. And I have come up with some things I think would be good for my generation to think about, act on, and such.... (In no particular order)

1. Read. No, not the latest celebrity gossip or style trends; not the headlines on your Google or Yahoo! homepage. Read the stories below the headlines. Sure the media may be biased in some areas, but at least you are now aware of something outside of your own personal news stories. Read what is not on the front page - small stories of hope relegated to pages on cnn.com you never knew existed, stories of tragedies in countries you did not know exist. Read a book that has nothing to do with a boy wizard or happy-ending romances. Read about something you are not comfortable or familiar with, whether it be about genocide in Eastern Europe or that chick book with that guy Darcy in it. You may learn something about yourself, others, and the world no Hollywood movie could show you.

2. Use energy efficient light bulbs. They last a long time, they reduce your electric bill, and they may just help the environment a tad. Good for the wallet and nature! And, if you are in the market for a new home electric appliance, get the Energy Star and help the wallet and nature even more.

3. Step away from the computer, video game, television, iPod, and cell phone and meet your friends face-to-face every now and then. It may be awkward at first because you do not have the safety of staring at a screen any more, but the end results will be greatly beneficial to all involved. You may even have more fun together in real life than you did in the cyberworld.

4. Vote. Vote every single time you can. But don't vote for a person only because there is an "R," "D," or "I" in parentheses after their name. Vote for a person because you read about them, their stance on the issues you care about and think you should care about, voting history, everything. The candidates and issues you support may surprise you. Oh, and don't just look at the big name candidates, look at the second- and third-tier ones as well.

5. Help someone out. It could be tutoring a teenager after school, helping a friend pack and move, volunteering at a soup kitchen or for an organization like Habitat for Humanity, assisting the elderly woman or the mom with three kids at the supermarket. Something that is not about you, that you do not expect accolades for, and that betters the life of someone else, be it for a moment or a lifetime.

6. Ask how someone is doing and then wait for the answer. The real answer. And then listen, for as long as it takes.

7. Go on an adventure. It could be Kuala Lumpur or Tomball, Texas. Go somewhere with some friends to a place you have never been for a day, a week, some period of time, and have fun. Eat at the local cafe; talk to the waitress, she (or he) probably has been around a while and has a host of stories. Check out a small town football game on a Friday night and cheer like you've lived there your whole life. If overseas, eat the monkey brain if for no other reason to say you did.

8. Recycle. I don't do it and I should. I even found out my apartment complex has a few recycle bins so there is no excuse for me any longer. Plastics, metal, glass, paper. Find a place that does it and bring your recycling stuff there. (Whole Foods has recycle bins outside if you are looking for a place.)

9. Drink water. It does not taste like much, is not exciting to look at, but it is the one thing all health gurus agree on. It does a body good! And drink the tap water. Bottled water is probably water from someone else's tap in nice packaging. Tap water saves you $1.25 for every 20 ounces, and you don't have to throw any plastics away.

Alright, now that I feel like I am that "always wear sunscreen" song, I will stop.