Running Like Phoebe...

Yesterday we had a family picnic/reunion/gathering of sorts. Having done away with the annual Christmas party after my grandfather passed away last year, this was the new and improved alternative that was intended to alleviate some of the stress and strain from additional holiday parties. The event was held at Hagar Park, which happens to have a fabulous wooden playground called the Age of Discovery. The kiddos had a great time climbing, swinging, and hanging, and even I enjoyed a couple trips down the twisty slide.

"It's easier when you put your arms out like this..." ~ Olivia

The little monkey...

*Contrary to how the picture appears, she actually does have two legs!

Running around on the playground reminded me of one of my favorite Friends episodes. (Go ahead, roll your eyes, but all of life is a Friends moment and you know its true). I love "The One Where Phoebe Runs," during which Rachel is embarrassed by the way Phoebe flails her arms and legs as they jog through Central Park. After becoming increasingly bothered by the unorthodox style (Rachel: "You guys, I'm telling you, when she runs, she looks like a cross between Kermit the Frog and the Six Million Dollar Man."), Rachel finally asks Phoebe why she runs like she does. Phoebe replies by asking Rachel to remember when she was little, when you ran as hard and as fast, and as crazily as you could to get to the swings before the other kids stole them all...when you were little, and you didn't care how you looked, so long as you were having a good time. Phoebe says that she doesn't want to run unless it's fun (which in her case, includes the thrashing about of extremities)--a statement which Rachel accepts and later puts into practice as she joyfully flails her way down the trail.

I'm not really one for flailing these days. Sometimes I wish I was.

In all honesty, I think it's the diplomat in me, or maybe the Asian...I'm not exactly sure yet. But at any rate, there are times when I wish that my brain knew no concept of political correctness, appropriateness, status quo, or any other form of decorum. For I fear, that these things, these social constructs, forces, and influences, these self-accepted and self-imposed rules, may prevent me, and all of us for that matter, from truly experiencing some of the joy that may be found in everyday occurrences.

"But what will the neighbors think?"

"What will my friends think?"

"What will the other pre-school moms think?"

"What will my co-workers think?"

"What will my family think?"

Ever thought one of those things before? Ever uttered those words when considering a choice, a decision, or a course of action? Ever wished you didn't care what the answer was?

Yup, me too.

I don't know why or how we've somehow made our lives subject to the scrutiny and opinion of the world, but we have...at least I have. And perhaps you're much better at combating it than I, but still it exists. And quite frankly, I find it to be annoying. And bothersome. And constricting. And controlling. I live for the day when the actions of my life will be motivated purely by love, integrity, joy, and faith...when the only perspective that I consider is God's...when I engage in an activity, simply for the pure joy of it...when I speak my mind when and wherever because it springs out of the convictions of my heart...when I no longer arrive late to work because I've spent a full 7 minutes picking out the right pair of shoes to wear...

Friends, I wish I could run like Phoebe. All the time. Everyday. That may mean different things, in different places, at different times...but the freedom that exists, that empowers, that is ours for the taking...it cannot and should not be held captive by the perceptions of the world. For then it will be wasted. On lives that had the potential for so much more. On lives that were meant to be truly LIVED.

Here's to living our lives with wild abandon...arms and legs flailing the entire time :)