...And Then You Die.

A friend and I wrote a poem of sorts in a Year 10 maths class one day entitled "Life Sucks And Then You Die." Each line was composed of only two words, the first of which being "Get..." and focused on what would be perhaps the average sort of life. Running from birth to puberty to childbearing to middle age to obscurity and eventual death, upon which worms would devour your earthly remains and that would be that.

Obviously, maths classes inspire those with a languages bent in a different way to those of a mathematical persuasion. And it was hard to be inspired after we had a Year 9 maths teacher who was a) not actually a maths teacher and b) about as useful as the Pope's particulars. The only thing I really remember from maths classes in Year 9 was a story about some Mount Gambier couple, which caused me to make a mental note not to date anyone who liked to dress as Superman.

Anyway.

Not to sound too pessimistic, but people expect too much of their lives. Perhaps it's because we're constantly told we can and should have it all. And if not, at least get a loan or some credit cards to be able to afford some of the money-can-buy elements of it. The perfect job that's never dull. A big house with large, airy rooms. A couple new, expensive cars. Yearly holidays to an overseas destination. A perfect partner and matching perfect children.

Reality is you'll probably be in a job that's not always the most scintillating thing going, rent for quite some time, have a second-hand car apparently made mostly from plastic and be lucky enough to use some of your four weeks annual holiday to go up the Gold Coast, where you'll find everyone else has migrated for the holidays and the children whine a lot. And they'll probably hate you for a while in their teenage years, making you wish you'd had fur-kids instead (even if they publicly groom their bits when you have visitors). All while enjoying rate rises, the way prices for fuel, food and pretty much everything have escalated and wishing for death to escape the whirl of mediocrity.

Okay, it might not be quite that bad and I am exaggerating slightly...

But why not make the most of what you have, regardless of how much or how little or whatever it is? Just enjoy life, even if you're currently in a state of being that's not quite where you thought you would be five or ten years ago. Why not just have happiness and contentment now, rather than delaying it, thinking it'll come along when you get a promotion or a new car or a bigger house. Just make the most of life. Because we all die at the end of it. And that's not going to be the most exciting part of life.

Well... It might be for others. Especially if it's Darwin Award-worthy.

You should stay away from your potential, you know. It's a lot like your bank balance - you always have a lot less than you think.
- Dylan Moran