Crazy

Written Winter of newly 2013

Crazy

                “You’re crazy,” they jokingly retort.

                I nod along, as if being crazy is anything to joke about. Spend a few days with my best friend’s family at Thanksgiving and you’ll know what crazy is. But is crazy such a bad thing? Isn’t crazy the name we give to things that we ourselves are not able to understand? We once called going to the moon “crazy”, yet look what it’s become—reality. It’s the fear of failing that enables us to label things. That boy must be a “player” because he’s much more attractive than I am and I happen to have feelings for him. I’m “crazy” to like him . . . yet he just might be crazy enough to like me back.

                “What’s so wrong with crazy,” I finally respond.

                “It’s crazy I mean, pretty self-explanatory,” I hear back as an eye roll is shot my way.

                Crazy is self-explanatory—it’s doing what you feel without thinking twice. There are few things in life we look back on and say, “I’m so glad I did that—it was so tame.” Those are the stories we tell our parents, and Lord knows those are watered down at best. Life is all about the crazy moments, and the moments you’re just crazy enough to take.

                “You there,” they question, “ugh, I knew I should’ve gone to the mall today instead . . . .”

                “I’m going to go save the world,” I reply unemotionally, “I’ll drop you off at the mall on my way.”

                As confusion and pure annoyance set in, I get up, grab my keys and walk to my car. Two honks of the horn later, and she finally decides to grace me with her presence.

                “What do you mean you’re going to go save the world,” she inquires, equally concerned as she is curious.

                “Put your seatbelt on, the GPS says I’ll have you there in 6 minutes,” I respond, maintaining my composure and focus.

                As I drive through the eerily picturesque suburban jungle, I begin to ponder what changing the world really means. By changing one life, that is changing the world. Hm . . . yes, I very much so like that. If I can change one person, then that means that another person can change a person’s life. Maybe not force them to change, but allow them the opportunity to change--should they choose to take it. Crazy, right? What about the chain reaction, or the movie Pay It Forward or Groundhog Day, what about those? Exactly!

                And as my heart and mind combine into a brainstorming frenzy, my hands and feet manage to do quite well on autopilot. Six minutes later, I am pulling up to the front entrance of the mall, yet my friend doesn’t flinch.

                “Is there a problem, I thought this is where you wanted to go,” I asked.

                “This isn’t where I should be . . . I kind of want to change the world too,” she meekly replies.

                “But that’s crazy,” I respond, keeping my eyes locked on the entity that is my ex-boyfriend walking 20 feet in front of my car.

                “Well, yeah, it is crazy I guess,” I hear her softly ponder aloud “but then again, what’s wrong with being crazy?”

                “Exactly.”