The World Is Yours

About a week ago, I was invited to feel nature. A friend of mine was feeling a bit overwhelmed, and wanted to allot some time to simply sit and do nothing. As I waited for him to arrive, I decided to lay on a bench and stare at the branches above me. Some of the passerby shot me awkward sideways glances, but most whizzed past, uninterested.

When he arrived, we decided to pick a grassy spot to lie down. We begin conversing and he mentions that as children we frequently lie down to stare at clouds, or feel the dirt. We jump in puddles and climb trees without regard, and he asks me why as adults people seem to lose that. The short answer is “I don’t know.” However, I tell him “I think it stems from learned insecurity. We’re too focused on projecting an image, because we’re too busy comparing ourselves to those around us. The fact is, you’re not special and no one cares about you. Even if they make fun of you or give you an awkward glance, in 20 years, they’re not going to remember. Hell, they’re probably not going to remember it the next day. I’ve realized that, “ I say, “and it’s incredibly empowering, because I’m free to do anything I want. The whole world is mine.” He grins at me and asks me how he can make everyone understand and change. I tell him that he can’t. “All we can do is show them the beauty we see in everything. We can explain our ideas and we have to lead by example. Then we just hope it sticks.” We can aspire to be small beacons of inspiration and plead that we motivate another to do the same.

So, to whomever is reading, people really don’t care.

I encourage you to go out and do whatever you’ve been itching to do, but have been too afraid to try. Tell that person your feelings. Tell him/her how much you love them. Tell that dude/chick how much they annoy you. Climb a tree, jump in a puddle, run through the sprinklers, take a nap on the grass. Christ, take a nap on the sidewalk! Run, play, say hi to people, tell everyone you meet your unfiltered thoughts. Do whatever makes you happy.

Because the whole world is yours.