YOLO

"Forget regret, or life is yours to miss." 

- Jonathan Larson,  Rent

YOLO, for those unaware, literally means "You Only Live Once".

Apart from being a scientific fact, it's a colloquialism of encouragement developed by the younger generation to encourage folks to just get out and do stuff while it's still possible to do so. Life has a way of going faster than we may realize, since many of us tend to get caught up in our day-to-day routines. Get up, go to work, come home, do stuff around the house, go to bed. Wake up the next day, do most of that again, maybe run some errands, maybe post something on Snapchat. These days of activity turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months, months turn into years.

There's a pattern here. Sometimes we have to take a step back and smell the roses, or take a chance when the timing is right. I wanted to talk about a few moments where I decided to just throw caution to the wind, and just do something for the sole purpose of...well, the fact that I only live once.

Moved from New Jersey to Texas

Back in 2014, I had been working for the same company in a retail store for seven and a half years. I was comfortable, financially. I was making my bills, I had a group of friends I spent time with, and I saw my family on a regular basis.   However, I was in a rut. Much like the one I described in the beginning of this post; I was living month to month doing much of the same things as I'd been doing, and I didn't feel as if I was getting anywhere or improving my situation. That is, until an opportunity came up to move to the corporate division of the company I was working for. I weighed my options heavily; staying in New Jersey meant I'd remain in a familiar comfortable bubble of safety. However, moving to Texas would open new doors for me professionally. It would also bring about new challenges in just about every aspect of life, especially since I'd be moving to a place where I didn't know anyone at all. I'd have to make entirely new local friends. I'm very glad I made the move, because I've had the opportunity to meet some incredible people. I've made some great friends that I'm truly grateful to know, and I've had many new experiences I most likely wouldn't have had if I'd stayed put. I'm going to talk about one of them in a moment.

Bought a gun, and became licensed to carry it

New Jersey has very strict firearms laws, and thus the state is known for being fairly "gun unfriendly."  I also grew up in a household without guns or any appreciation of guns, so needless to say I didn't know much about them. I might even go so far as to say I was somewhat afraid of them until I'd moved down here to Texas, which is a state far more welcoming of guns. I'd always been curious what it was like to fire a gun, and I figured that since I was here in Texas, I should conquer my fears and see what it was all about.  One day, I went to my local range, rented a basic 9mm handgun, and took it out to try it for myself. So many of my fears were eased by learning how the gun worked, and its various safety features. It was also comforting to see how serious the range staff took gun safety. From how to carry the gun to and from the range, to rules on the range about handling, safety is clearly top priority for anyone involved. After I'd fired the gun for the first time, I realized that it was something I could get into. A few weeks later, I'd purchased my first firearm, and began training to get my carry permit. A few years later, fast forwarding to this year, I finally took the test and passed, having earned the license to carry my gun. I don't carry often, but I am glad to support the second amendment and have the skills needed to properly maintain and operate a firearm, should the need ever arise.

Came out on social media

October 11th 2018 will always be a special day for me, because it's the day I came out as a gay man. I'd told certain members of my family prior to posting it on Facebook, but I decided to share this part of my life with the rest of my friends and family on National Coming Out Day, celebrated on October 11th each year.  I'd known I was gay for a number of years, but it wasn't until this year that I'd truly begun to not only accept it, but celebrate it. I love who I am, and I didn't want to hide that part of me any longer. When I read the outpouring of love and support from my friends and family once they'd read the post, the feeling was indescribable. I felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off my shoulders; I felt as if I could truly be me, both online and in person, now that I'd made it known that I was proud to be who I am.  I'd seen so many videos and posts about how life gets better once you come out, and it's completely true. I didn't plan on doing that when I woke up that day. I thought about it briefly as I got into bed, and typed it up as I was winding down for the night. Everything about that moment felt right, and I'll never forget it.

Moments like these are the moments we should all live for, because after all, we only live once.