Live a little
I was wondering...
Have you ever jumped in the bath or the shower with your clothes on?
Singing in the shower is nothing new, but have you ever danced in the shower? In your living room? In the street? At the sink while you wash the dishes? While you do the ironing? Have you ever danced with no music?
Have you ever had a food fight? A pillow fight? A real fight? Or even just thrown a punch at somebody or been punched?
Have you ever stood on a hill and yelled at the top of your voice? Have you ever laid down in the middle of a field, spreading yourself star-shaped, opening yourself up to the stars? Have you ever sat and watched the sun come up or go down?
Have you ever made snow angels? Or jumped in a pile of crispy autumn leaves and then got back and kicked them all over?
Have you ever slept in a pool of plastic balls? Or jumped in mud? Have you ever got down on your hands and knees and rolled around and played with your dog, barked at him or her and pretended to be just like him or her?
Have you ever dressed up as a gorilla, ran to the market and asked for a kilo of bananas?
What about eating chocolate fudge cake without licking your lips? And then there's sucking up a whole strand of spaghetti as quick as you can?
And even had a stonking good night out with friends without even touching a drop of alcohol?
Everyone has trick-or-treated as a kid, but have you ever gone out the night before on mischief night and terrorised the neighbourhood?
When was the last time you took your girlfriend or boyfriend in your arms in the middle of the street and kissed her or him passionatly without a care in the world? Have you ever made love out in the open? No, not in the middle of the street, or at least not in the middle of the day when people are around that is...
Have you ever been happy when it's cold and raining?
Have you ever haggled?
Have you ever celebrated? Of course you have. I mean celebrated from start to finish, for example the whole day of your birthday and not just in the evening having a drink or dinner with your friends and when the cake comes?
Have you ever laughed at nothing in particular, until you can't laugh any more, until your sides ache, tears stream down your face and your lungs are about to pop, only to stop and then start laughing again at the fact you were laughing at nothing in particular?
Have you ever completely embarrassed yourself in public in order to bring joy or at least a few laughs to somebody's life?
Never read a story to a child before? Not just speak the words and turn the pages, but really read it to them, doing the voices of the characters, so you see just how enraptured they are in it?
Do you bring the joy of playing in to everything you do?
In this age of multi media, have you sat down and written something at length by hand?
Have you ever watched a film, then watched it again straight away after the first time?
Ever found a four-leaf clover before? Ever searched for one?
Have you ever waited for something that you know was probably never going to come, just for the sheer reason of a little hope in your life?
Have you ever turned your fear to your own advantage?
Don't you study every day of your life? Not just to get your diploma or your degree.
Have you ever bet on yourself?
Have you ever found something in nothing?
Have you ever given yourself a full chance and not just half?
I could go on asking you questions. And no matter how much you have done in life, there is still so much to do. So it leaves me to ask one final thing: Are there too many 'no' answers to these questions?
Well, learn to live a little.
Have you ever jumped in the bath or the shower with your clothes on?
Singing in the shower is nothing new, but have you ever danced in the shower? In your living room? In the street? At the sink while you wash the dishes? While you do the ironing? Have you ever danced with no music?
Have you ever had a food fight? A pillow fight? A real fight? Or even just thrown a punch at somebody or been punched?
Have you ever stood on a hill and yelled at the top of your voice? Have you ever laid down in the middle of a field, spreading yourself star-shaped, opening yourself up to the stars? Have you ever sat and watched the sun come up or go down?
Have you ever made snow angels? Or jumped in a pile of crispy autumn leaves and then got back and kicked them all over?
Have you ever slept in a pool of plastic balls? Or jumped in mud? Have you ever got down on your hands and knees and rolled around and played with your dog, barked at him or her and pretended to be just like him or her?
Have you ever dressed up as a gorilla, ran to the market and asked for a kilo of bananas?
What about eating chocolate fudge cake without licking your lips? And then there's sucking up a whole strand of spaghetti as quick as you can?
And even had a stonking good night out with friends without even touching a drop of alcohol?
Everyone has trick-or-treated as a kid, but have you ever gone out the night before on mischief night and terrorised the neighbourhood?
When was the last time you took your girlfriend or boyfriend in your arms in the middle of the street and kissed her or him passionatly without a care in the world? Have you ever made love out in the open? No, not in the middle of the street, or at least not in the middle of the day when people are around that is...
Have you ever been happy when it's cold and raining?
Have you ever haggled?
Have you ever celebrated? Of course you have. I mean celebrated from start to finish, for example the whole day of your birthday and not just in the evening having a drink or dinner with your friends and when the cake comes?
Have you ever laughed at nothing in particular, until you can't laugh any more, until your sides ache, tears stream down your face and your lungs are about to pop, only to stop and then start laughing again at the fact you were laughing at nothing in particular?
Have you ever completely embarrassed yourself in public in order to bring joy or at least a few laughs to somebody's life?
Never read a story to a child before? Not just speak the words and turn the pages, but really read it to them, doing the voices of the characters, so you see just how enraptured they are in it?
Do you bring the joy of playing in to everything you do?
In this age of multi media, have you sat down and written something at length by hand?
Have you ever watched a film, then watched it again straight away after the first time?
Ever found a four-leaf clover before? Ever searched for one?
Have you ever waited for something that you know was probably never going to come, just for the sheer reason of a little hope in your life?
Have you ever turned your fear to your own advantage?
Don't you study every day of your life? Not just to get your diploma or your degree.
Have you ever bet on yourself?
Have you ever found something in nothing?
Have you ever given yourself a full chance and not just half?
I could go on asking you questions. And no matter how much you have done in life, there is still so much to do. So it leaves me to ask one final thing: Are there too many 'no' answers to these questions?
Well, learn to live a little.
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