One Week

  There's a movie I've seen a couple of times. It's not a high-budget flick, but it's a great one. The film is called One Week and it has Josh Jackson in it.  It's about a guy who has a week or so left to live. He buys a Norton bike and decides to ride it across Canada. While it's fun to wax nostalgic watching it because Jackson actually rode the (rad) bike across Canada and I've been to most of the places; (A fair chunk of the road scenes were shot near where I live right now) it would be missing the point.

   This guy in his thirties knows he's going to die, but he doesn't let anyone else decide for him what he wants to do with his final days. He lives his dreams because he believes that his days are very numbered. I know it's just a character, but his impending death is the impetus of something truly grand.

   We have our lives so compartmentalized today, so carefully planned. From birth we are told what our parents want us to be and we're shaped in their vision; growing up to live very structured adulthoods. But life is fluid and absolutely unpredictable. As much as we try to mold our existence to fit an artificial norm, nature itself rebels against such abnormalities.

   We all find ourselves under pressure to conform and perform with some excelling and others melting. As I get older, I'm starting to understand the concept of time out; of taking a break from noise and websites and writing someone else's work. It can be exciting or boring, and sometimes both. I like my life in general, I think I'm starting to get the point. Whether you work a 9-to-5 or 18 hours a day, you need to take a week off every 6 months or so to live like it is your last week above ground.

   While I opt to go far in the wilderness with a few other people, inner peace is not a one size fits all consciousness. But do it- not just because stress kills people, but because nobody lives forever. Make sure to kiss your sweetheart like you'll never see each other again and find some adventure. In a world that's becoming increasingly artificial and supercilious, it's important to love yourself by being good to your mind. And your brain does need a rest, for when it breaks down the service station has padded walls and horrid drugs.

Go for it. The only thing you have to lose is the pickle in your posterior.



If you're bored, you can come here. After 1:30 is where I'm fortunate enough to live.