Monday, May 07, 2007

WHO'S A SURVIVOR

After a long hiatus, I have returned to Manic Monday.

This post is full of twists and turns, I hope you can survive its non-linear incongruity.

Whenever I think of the word Survivor, I think of the episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with “the survivors”. For those of you who have not seen it, here is a quick synopsis. Larry’s dad has a friend who is a Holocaust survivor. Larry is talking to a friend about how he has to have this survivor over for dinner. Larry’s friend mentions that he also knows a survivor so Larry suggests that he also come to dinner. Unfortunately, the friend’s “survivor” was not a Holocaust survivor. He was a cast member of the reality show Survivor. The two survivors get in an argument about who had the hardest time surviving. It was a hilarious episode.

Anyway my point is that survival is relative and that pain is also relative. That no matter how bad something may seem, from another perspective it could be looked at as an opportunity to learn something or to grow as a person. I’m not saying that the Holocaust falls into that category; that would be crazy talk. I’m just saying that anything is debatable. Every experience has two sides.

It seems like everyone I know is in the middle of something new. People are leaving jobs, moving, getting jobs, doing all kinds of fun and exciting things. I’m not doing anything. They are on one side of survival, the side that moves and changes. I am on the other side, the one that just trudges on aimlessly doing nothing but simply surviving. I almost would welcome a tragedy, something where I could dig in and get my hands dirty and make sure that I am alive, not just surviving.

Then again, what is so wrong with simple survival? Maybe there is nothing wrong with it. I am a happy person. I make people happy and ease their general survival. I have admitted to myself that I’m probably not going to make some enormous impact on our society as a whole. Why shouldn’t I just survive? What harm would it do? None, and it makes good blog ponderings. I suppose just by dealing with the ups and down of daily trails I am a survivor. Not a Survivor, but a survivor, and that might be okay with me.

1. I wanna reach out/ And touch the sky/ I wanna touch it/ But I don’t need to fly

2. Love/ Used to be a stranger to me/ Love/ was so disappointing/ I was waiting for a sign/ I was looking for some company/ So I took a walk outside/ MMMM what a lucky day

3. Through the warmest cord of care/ Your love was sent to me/ I’m not sure/ What to do with it/ or where to put it

4. Hey bra/ How ya doing man/ It’s been a while man life is so rad/ this band’s my favorite man don’t you love em/ Oh man you want a beer/ Oh man hell bra this is the best man I’m so glad we’re all back together and stuff/ this is great man/ Hey do you know about the party after the show/ Aw man it’s gonna be the best/ I’m so stoned/ take it easy bro. The Sweater Song, Weezer. Identified by Monica and Phil

5. I want to tell you/ My head is filled with things to say/ When you’re here/ All those words they seem to/ slip away. I Want To Tell You, The Beatles. Identified by Mom and Johnny Yen

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

#5 - I Want to Tell You, by the Beatles, from the Revolver album.

To me, surviving has connotations of just barely getting by. Or of (perhaps recently) making it through a real tough time. How about being a "thriver"? Or something like that. Having a happy life is a nice thing, a good thing. Please don't wish for tragedies.

Traveling Matt said...

#4 The Sweater Song - Weezer... laughing like crazy right now that you transcribed the party banter...

Sandee said...

Well done. Everyone survives everyday, but in different degrees. You are so right. Excellent post for survivor.

Phil said...

Dang it!! I knew the Weezer. Monica beat me again. Grrrr.....

I understand your feelings. For a long time, I thought if you weren't daring to be great, you were basically failing. That couldn't be less true.

It seems to me that you are growing as well as surviving.

Anonymous said...

I love CYE--can't remember that episode though but I can't wait to see it on a rerun. Great post--have a good week.

Michael C said...

I was just telling someone at work today how uninteresting my life is.

Travis Cody said...

I think that this is a healthy perspective. You live your life and do your thing. When an opportunity shows, you are prepared to evaluate it and either take it head on or let it ease on by.

Whatever label gets placed on it, it's what most of us do.

Mrs. Loquacious said...

I think that everyone makes an impact on society, though some may have a larger scope and audience than others. As an educator, you would come into contact with how many students in a month? A year? A decade? In general as you go through life, how many people do you encounter in a day? A week? A year?

To me, those are all opportunities to change the world, and to make a difference. But maybe I'm just a wide-eyed optimist. :D

CS said...

Nothing wrong with just living your life - the upheavals will come along unbidden, so it's good to enjoy the quiet times in between.

Johnny Yen said...

Damn-- mom beat me to #5.

Revolver was one of the first albums I bought with my own money when I started my first job as a stock clerk at Walgreen's in 1977. I used to play it with the headphones on-- I loved "Tomorrow Never Knows," with all it's sitars and backwards instruments playing.

Eleanor Rigby, from that album, was the first Beatles song I really loved.

I was in a Walgreen's earlier today, and "Paperback Writer" was playing on the canned music. There was a kid there singing along with it-- he had to be about 11 or 12 years old. It's amazing how universal the Beatles are.

ShadowFalcon said...

Prespective, surviving to one person might be the best life ever to someone else. As long as you are happy surely that what counts...

CrazySpanishGirl said...

thanks for sharing that. I sometimes feel I need some tragedy in my life to make me move. And I always felt guilty about it. Now I know I'm not the only one, so it may be normal for people our age, our culture...

Foofa said...

Mom- Not major tragedies, just minor ones.

Monica- I had so much fun doing that. I was laughing a lot too.

Comedy+- Thanks, degrees of survival are certainly challenges we all face.

Phil- I'm glad to know i wasn't the only one thinking that way

Teg- IT was an awesome episode but nothing compares to the Judy doll.

Michael- Yeah, what's up with being uninteresting?

Travis- I think i just have to get comfortable doing what most people do and realizing that is ok.

Mrs. L- On good days, I think the exact same way. On bad days I think that is too simple and I'm tricking myself into believing i am making a difference.

CS- I think my problem is i have a hard time enjoying the quiet times while they are happening. However, once the shit hits the fan I miss them terribly.

Jonny- Walgreens has been all about the Beatles lately. I guess because of their universal appeal. It makes sense. I always smile when I hear their music.

Shadow- I try to keep perspective, I realize my lame wallowing is self-serving because, in the grand scheme of things, I have a pretty awesome life. At least i have this blog to be self-serving on.

CSG- I feel guilty about it too. However, I think I work well when i have to fix something urgent. Hoping for tragedy is a bad thing though.

Danielle said...

You hit it square on the head with every experience has two sides.

Right on the head, you did.