Live a little.

 What is your idea of “live a little?” How do you “Live a little?”

We were at a charity gala event over the weekend, I was standing in a corner holding on to a bottle of water, one person walked by me and said (after years of knowing me), “just water, where is your drink? have a drink, live a little. Even the children are gone now.”

Those of you who do not know me, I do not drink. According to some who have known me, I should have had that drink, to relax, to chill a little, to unwind. According to them, I do not know how to live a little.

I raised three kids almost by myself, two of them twins and sure there were difficulties, rough times, according to some," I need a drink" moments. I grew up in a family, in a society where social drinking was a norm. It never fascinated me. I saw my mom clean up enough vomit. May be that was the deterrent. I do not fit in anywhere, never did; but never had the urge to drink just so I could fit in. According to some, I should have, then maybe I would have fit in.

Then I married someone who never felt the need to rely on alcohol either, to fit in or to feel alive.

A few years ago, we were at another party where some of our friends were betting on me to have a drink. In fact, one of them came up to me and asked, if I had that drink, we could split the bet money. He obviously lost that bet.

“Live a little,” is a phrase I have heard over and over, always accompanied by a subtle suggestion that I am not cool because I do not drink, I am missing out on life.

I was watching an episode of Young Sheldon the other day, two geniuses, not even twelve years old, one of them ends up drinking so she could fit in, finally succumbing to the pressure.

Todays’ ramblings are brought on because of two incidents happened over the weekend. I mulled over this blog post for five days. One incident as mentioned above was personal, not tragic but the other one, not personal but ended up in a tragedy. There was a hazing incident on the campus of one of the universities and the student is now in a coma. I end up asking myself the question, why? Why does society think that drinking is the only way to look cool, to fit in? Why does the media portray it to the young, vulnerable minds that it is cool? I am fifty plus years old, and I have yet to figure it out. The children are grown and gone now. As a parent I can only hope that they will make the right decision. I have no control over their actions. I can only hope that they have found the right peers.

If you are a parent of a teenager or someone who is about to go to college, please talk to them about the dangers of excessive drinking and hazing. Have them take that pledge. Here is the link about “The Gordie Center.” Gordie died just three weeks after arriving on campus, he was only eighteen.

https://gordie.studenthealth.virginia.edu/take-the-pledge

Gordie Center

By the way, my ideas of living it a little are reading a book, writing in my journal, a good conversation, going for a walk if the weather permits and watching something. Even as a child I would be content if I had a book, always. I was never cool; I knew that, and I was perfectly ok with that. Why fit in when you can stand out? Right??

Today's ramblings are from my distraught mind. My heart goes out to the parents.

Image copied from Google.