Mr. buckethead

You’re young; you’re only 18 years old…

You’re 19 years old; you have your whole life ahead of you…

You’re only 20; you’re still a kid…

You’re only 21; you have plenty of time…

          I’m twenty-two years old now, and I’m wondering at what age do I stop hearing those phrases? Why do people condition us to think life is a timeline, and we’re kids until we’re what…25…30? Did our parents wait to travel the world when they we’re “only kids”, or did they wait to move out and get married? When our parents tell us their stories about Woodstock, or driving across the country, or how they had to live in their parents’ basement together and save up for their own place, they didn’t sound like they were “just kids”. Did their parents see them as two naiveté kids rushing into marriage too soon? Did other generations tell them they were too young to explore life for what it really is, a challenge, a risk; an unknown abyss? I know it’s their duty as a parent to warn us of life’s little twist and turns, because they’ve been there, and therefore they know better. However, they know better from experience, not because they listened to their parents the first, second, or third time they warned them that moving to another state on a whim was a mistake. You have to fall flat on your face to be able to pick yourself up.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

          So kids, whether you’re 20…25…or only 18, I urge you to think about the consequences, consider how much your parents love you (Will they let you move back in if you do fail miserably?), and do the math on the odds (Can I really make it big as an actor in LA or am I doomed to be a waiter the rest of my life?), but most importantly, follow your heart. If my grandfather didn’t follow his heart, and had chosen the army over the love of his life, maybe he would have lost her. If Michael J. Fox didn’t believe enough in himself to struggle to become an actor, he wouldn’t be the icon that he is today. It doesn’t matter if you’re somebody, or nobody, or another one of us crazy kids, take your shot while it’s still there. Whether you make it big, or you become stronger from fighting through the biggest mistake of your life, it’ll make you a better person. You’ll always regret losing the girl of your dreams because you were to afraid to run away with her. But if you run away with her and it works out, or it doesn’t, at least you’ll feel better knowing you tried and you’ll always have your own stories to tell your kids and grandkids about your chance at young love. No matter what the situation is, keep in mind, you’re going to remember it for the rest of your life, as the shot you took, or the regret you can’t let go. How you remember it is entirely up to you!              

          This Sunday I had breakfast with Santa. You remember those days, don’t you? Asking for everything Power Rangers, a pair of roller blades, a pogo stick, etc. The good old days when we got gifts by the bunches and it seemed like we had a hundred presents to open. Before we grew up and asked for a video game system or a laptop and knew we were getting all or nothing that year, consuming our parents’ gift fund for us mostly on one gift.

          Turns out, kids aren’t kids anymore. Eight year olds have become the new teens. I heard a little girl ask for the new iPad2, “Not the old cheap one Santa, I want the new one with the camera”. I’m a grown up and I can’t even afford those toys. Are parents really giving into these demands and skimping on gifts for themselves so their six year old kid can watch Sponge Bob videos on YouTube? Let’s hope that’s all they’re doing on there, I know what I did on my first computer and I sure wouldn’t want any kid younger than 16 doing those things. This year parents, I give you permission to take back Christmas and give them that pair of pajamas you’ve been eyeing, and give them toys that run on their imagination not a power cord! 

          We live in a digital world: pictures, songs, newspapers-everything’s moved to the internet. Soon, kids won’t know what film cameras or camcorders are. “Film, what’s that dad? I didn’t know there was any other kind of camera other than digital.” I’m in my twenties and wonder if my kids will ever flip through a photo album with me.

          Vacations, holidays, birthdays, your first day of school; growing up was celebrated on film. I loved flipping through photo albums every once in a while with my parents and reliving those moments. Bad smiles, awkward poses, people not ready for the flash, and of course the unexplainable blurry photos that showed up far too often. “Did dad take that one?” “Was the film ruined or did someone take a picture of the back of my head by accident?” Photo albums were free fun, and a great way to bond.

          What will I have to share with my kids? “Hey Tommy want to see what daddy looked like in high school? Let me bring up my facebook profile and I’ll show you.” With today’s digital cameras and camera phones, pictures are taken and deleted in an instant, lost forever. The fun of photos used to be having no option, but to keep the bad pictures you took and laughing at them later.

          I actually know what my parents looked like in their heydays: my dad’s 70’s porn stash, jean short shorts, tube socks, and all. It’s only fair to share my bad haircuts and sleepy Christmas mornings, along with a picture of everything I got that year, with my kids. I’ve missed out on some years, being sucked into the digital wave, but I plan on getting my life back on film. I want those times when I sit down with my family and flip through all the memories, good times and bad, and appreciate one of life’s simple joys. So this year, I’ll ask for a film camera and never delete a bad photo again.