I turned 30 this year. Being an 'old person' I have spent some time looking back at the things I used to do and enjoy. My friends and I used to ride 4 wheelers/dirt bikes a lot. We would ride anywhere there was dirt and didn't care who the land belonged to. We spent lots of time riding around on land that belonged to people who would have never given us permission to ride there. In most cases, we knew who owned it, but just didn't care what they thought. This was pretty shitty behavior, but we did it anyway. A few times, we even took our trucks off road on land we had no business being on. Knowing who owned the land, if we had been caught, there was a slight possibility we would have ended up dead. Looking back, I have no idea how I thought any of this was a good idea. We would make paths (drive over brush) to get our trucks into certain areas and just go wild doing donuts, driving through the mud, and climbing hills. There is no way in hell you could even get me to walk on someone's land without their permission now. Also, when I was a teenager, I liked to see how fast the vehicle I owned or happened to be driving would go. Now I get scared going over 85mph because I have seen a lot of car wrecks and some of that shit is gruesome. Focus: What are things you used to do when you were young that you would never do now? Alt Focus: What are things you never imagined yourself doing that you do now that you are old(er)? Not that this makes anything better, but the land we were driving on was mostly swamp or clay pits. We weren't destroying valuable real estate or farm land.
1. Go to church. 2. Pay money to see Species in a theater. 3. Stay in a relationship that's only kinda-sorta working.
Can we highlight this for emphasis? I was raised in an Evangelist church, an "Assemblies of God" church to be specific. Check it. Never doing that again, nor exposing any offspring I might have to the devious manipulations of mother church. Also, I started smoking when I was 13. I have no idea how to keep kids from doing that, but if you know, tell me. If I could go back and smack the shit out of myself to make me not start, I would.
For me its NOT goto church, well kind of. I used to hate it as a kid as I was raised Roman Catholic. Now I dont mind going as its not a bad place to go and collect my thoughts and such. Im not terribly religious but Im definitely not an atheist either. 2. Dip. I used to do it in high school and in college especially when I needed to stay awake for exams, Im never touching the stuff again. 3. Drive Drunk. Its terrible, but dont act like you all havent.
I forgot about this one. I drove drunk probably 500 times, before I got caught. That one time changed my whole perspective. I didn't kill anybody, or anything like that, but I could have. Here's the main reason to not drive drunk. If you get caught, it's not only expensive, it will fuck with your life for years. Go ahead, try and move to another state with shit hanging over you. Hell, deal with your community service and meetings and parole in-state... Not that much easier. I drove drunk probably 500+ times before I got caught. I haven't driven with a drop in me since 2 3/4 years ago when I got caught. Too much motherfucking hassle.
Dead fucking on. Even though I beat the wrap, the anxiety and stress that a DUI caused me over the span of a year was off the charts. I'd basically went into panic induced insomnia in the days leading up to each of my court dates. The two or three days of my trial were more than enough for me to say fuck that shit for life. Not to mention the cost and the fact that I could have easily killed myself and my friends had random chance not ebbed in my favor. I also got it a month before I graduated college. Try explaining why you don't hold a license to potential employers with that one. I think I have steadily become less infatuated with alcohol as a whole. Since my DUI I tend to drink only on the weekends. Even if I got jack all to do I feel better about myself if Im productive, something I cant do being hung over 4+ days a week. Im starting to really really regret the stupid shit I do when I get black out drunk. Things that never would have phased me four or five years ago. I don't know if it is because I drink to excess less frequently or if it's because Im just getting older but I can't hold my liquor like I used to. Do I still need it to get over the initial jitters when Im out trying to meet girls? Sure, but honestly, if and when I settle down to start a family I really don't see myself drinking at all. My parents hardly drank at all either. I think my dad might have went through A bottle of Jim Beam a year and even that was mostly during the holiday parties.
Ugh, same here, I would say I was legitimately addicted to it near the end of college. Lucky for me I salivate a lot and one time I ended up swallowing a piece and booted like crazy. I was able to quit after that, not sure I would have otherwise. Tobacco in general is a fucking stupid thing to try, there are only four possible scenarios when you try it for the first time. 1.) You think it's fucking disgusting, the experience is miserable and you don't try it again 2.) You like it but are disciplined enough to recognize that this is a bad habbit to get into and fight the urge to do it again for the rest of your life 3.) You like it but are disciplined enough to recognize that this is a bad habbit to get into and only smoke casually when drinking, although most of these people slowly start to smoke more and more frequently over the years 4.) You like it but are not disciplined enough to recognize that this is a bad habbit to get into and become addicted Scenario 1, a miserable experience is by far the best you can hope for. I've been fortunate enough to learn this lesson by watching this happen to others instead of having to learn first hand. You can't even legally drive for a while so a bunch of my coworkers basically had 2 options A.) Not show up and get fired. B.) Break the law and drive to work A couple were able to bum rides off people, but being a grown ass adult and having to have someone else drive you to work has gotta suck. Not only that but you're not suppose to leave the state AT ALL for a certain period. One of my buddies took the law really seriously and skipped out on an awesome weekend because he was afraid of getting caught.
You can get driving privileges depending on your circumstances. Much more hassle and tack on some more fines/court payments. I requested driving privileges and it would have been granted if I submitted to an interlock device (breathalyzer to start your car), it cost too much each month to have it on so I said fuck it.Though if you have a job I guess jumping through some legal hoops would be worth it not to lose a job. If I wanted to go out I had to convince my friends to come all the way out to my hometown, good half an hour from most of my friends, or just have my mommy drive me. I also started relying on public transportation. Shit ain't worth it kiddies!
Focus: - smoke cigarettes - drink basically any kind of bum wine - running long distances - do the "oh woes me" thing if a girl didn't like me - pranks, without regard to legality - speed excessively - drive tired - energy drinks - ramen: it's not just for breakfast, lunch, and dinner anymore - hot pockets - mountain dew Alt. Focus: - have sex on a regular basis - drink on a regular basis - married young - two dogs, wife, and house - enjoy the taste (not just the buzz) of cigars - microbrew fettish - go to sleep before 10:00 - give to charity - make enough in a wonderful job to support me - enjoy the "giving" part of christmas more than the "receiving"
Focus: Not me, but one of my best friends in high school. We all swam on our high school swim team, and on the day of our team photo, my friend decided it would be a great idea to whip his balls out of his Speedo right before the picture was taken. We all lined up, giggling like little girls, until the photographer went to take the picture. None of us even thought to say, "dude, this may not be such a good idea." My friend pulled his balls out for every single picture the photographer took. Fast forward a few weeks/months. The pictures come in. The pictures are distributed to everyone who bought one. No one notices except the people who knew what was going on (basically me and my group of friends, and the poor girl who had my friend's nuts 4 inches from her face). It came time to put the photo in the yearbook, so another friend photoshopped the testicles out, hoping no one would notice anything ever happened. But then, the parents at school put together a brochure for our season-end brochure for all the sports teams, and a parent noticed something funny in the picture. Yeah. They asked for the photos back from everyone (I kept mine somewhere, and it was on my old computer). In the coming months, my friend was expelled (he had a lot of other suspensions and crap on his record for streaking, smoking weed at school, etc.) and then reinstated so he could finish English and graduate. My friend on yearbook had to photoshop the picture again, but this time to completely remove our friend, not just the balls. We talk about it and laugh now that it turned out ok, but I have no fucking clue how none of us told him that he was doing something profoundly stupid. EDIT: It was pointed out that my friend could have been charged with sex crimes. I think the police were involved for a short time and decided not to charge him. Or maybe that was the time he went streaking with another friend at a pep rally. They came closer to getting charged that time.
There was a time when I thought I'd be married by the age of 22-23. Boy, am I glad that never happened. Usually whenever I think about anything I did in my younger years, I want to rent a time machine and give my younger self a vicious beating.
I think this might be a state to state thing, none of my coworkers said they had the options you mentioned. I highly doubt they wouldn't have jumped through the hopes they needed to if it meant keeping their jobs. Then again a lot of them are fucking morons and that job SUCKS.
Alt-Focus: Spending time with my parents. Sure, they have their own special brands of crazy, but, in general, they're pretty awesome. I especially like getting together with my dad. We have the same sense of humor, so I think he's hilarious and a lot of fun to be around. Also, taking care of my skin. Until I was about 21 my "skincare" consisted of splashing some water on my face in the morning or before bed. Amazingly, my complexion was crystal-clear. Now as I'm getting older I've become acutely aware of sun damage and wrinkles on other people's faces. I'm really fair, so I think I have to put extra effort into preventative care. Now, I don't step outside without some kind of SPF on, I have a multi-step routine twice a day with really good products, and I get facials regularly. It may be slightly high maintenance and a little expensive, but I'd rather be a high maintenance bitch than have leather face in 10 years.
Oh so many poor fashion choices. Teased hair sprayed with aquanet to ensure that it remains sky high and doesn't budge throughout the day, the whole Madonna look, I could go on and on. Thank god facebook didn't exist during those days so I don't have to relive them in all of my friends photo albums.
When I was a teenager, I lived on a rural, wooded road where the speed limit was 45, but it was right at the County line. So, cars were usually leaving town or approaching town at 50 or 60 mph. For some reason, a friend of mine and I thought it was hilarious to hide at the edge of the woods, light enough smoke bombs to cover the road in a thick fog and throw tennis balls at cars as they suddenly had to slow and blindly fight their way through. Thank God nobody ever had a wreck.
I don't think anyone should be exposed to politics or religion in any way, shape or form until they are at least 18. Too many people go to church or vote a certain way just because that's how Mom or Dad do it. As far as the topic: I tell the young kids I know (and I know a lot, since I'm back in college full time) the following advice: When I was 18, I thought I had my shit together. When I turned 21, I realized I was a fucking idiot when I was 18. When I turned 25, I realized I was still a fucking idiot at 21. When I turned 30, I realized I was still a fucking idiot at 25. When I turned 35, I realized I was still a fucking idiot at 30. Now that I'm 38, I realize that I've gotten most of that shit all figured out. If I had a time machine, I'd go back to my teen years and beat some sense into myself.
Sorry to post again, but I thought of a much much more stupid thing I did in my past. I had periods of ... shall we say... promiscuity. Which is fine in and of itself, however, I played a bit of Russian Roulette occasionally if there wasn't a condom handy. How I was not rewarded for my generosity by a raging case of herpes or HIV, I have no idea, but I am eternally grateful (not to mention a hell of a lot wiser now).
But then what happens if they die before they are 18? They may burn in hell for all eternity because you were too lazy to drag their ass to church. Is that a risk you are willing to take?!?!?