I am so jealous of the Girl Scouts. And not for the reasons you might think. Sure they have the “Thin Mints” and the “Samoas” and the “Lemonades.” All pure genius. But those aren’t covet inducing.
I see the Girl Scouts and the thing I want most is the vest. Think about it. Haven’t you done some stuff that is badge worthy? Reached a mileage goal in running, or a weight goal or an anniversary?
My vest would be a color other than kelly green (this is my daydream so I get to pick) and I would wear my badges proudly. It sounds ridiculous but we do it everyday. At the end of the day, my to-do list is examined. How many badges did I earn today? Laundry, grocery shopping, bills, chauffeuring, and on and on. The number of badges earned is compared to the number of badges missed and an opinion is formed. Good day? Not so good day? Horrible day?
On those days where the accomplishment column is on the empty side, my self-worth swirls around the porcelain bowl that still needs cleaning. And always on those days, I seem to come face to face with the vests of those around me. Their vests are laden with badges! How in the world can I keep up? They have badges I’ve never even thought of!
But the rebel in me, that part that wants to rage against the machine longs to be free. I wish to walk into my yard and burn the vest. And then shout from the hill behind my house…
“Badges? Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!!”
Imagine a day where the only goal is to live. Live every moment until you fall into bed without thought of to-do lists and badges. (Cue orchestra.) To fall asleep simply remembering the moments that made you laugh or cry. (Music builds to crescendo.)
Who’s with me? (Applause and screaming.)
Say it with me…
We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!
19/05/2012 at 2:16 pm Permalink
I’m with ya!
19/05/2012 at 4:35 pm Permalink
Heh heh. There’s something so real about how conflicted you feel. You want the vest, you want badges that declare you’ve done something worth doing and therefore you are someone worth…. something!
And yet, you want to burn the vest and be free of all that. Well… which is it? Ha ha! Yeah, depends on the moment, doesn’t it? Me, too…
I’d say the day has come. That day you yearn for, the one where your only goal is to live. You woke up today and WOW — here it is. The “Live Free Day”. Or maybe the “Free to Just Live Day”. And the marvelous thing is, it’s not an annual holiday. The sun rises on another “Just Live, Rebecca” day tomorrow. Oh, and a “Just Live, Teddi” day, too.
It’s funny to me how much the deeper Christian walk starts touching on themes of living that are traditionally considered “Eastern philosophy”. Letting go. Just “being” instead of “doing”. Meditation. Silence. Stillness.
Maybe that’s why we shy away. It’s an alien culture. Its value not recognized by the primary culture around us.
I want to learn to just live. To truly, truly feel content just having lived today. I’d love a day when the basket of unfolded laundry didn’t look at me with reproach and the unswept kitchen floor didn’t threaten to slander my name to the piano teacher who comes weekly.
At least we have strong, active imaginations. Somehow I think this can be a benefit to us in all this. Imagine a world without badges.
POOF! There it is! I can see it….!