These Silly Things

I had just gotten off the bus after a group discussion at One Utama,

When it rained heavily.

So I ran as fast as I could to the nearest mamak stall for shelter.

A heavy downpour ensued.

Then a thought came.

"What if I walked in the rain? What would it feel like?"

There were many times, in fact, that I've pondered this question.

I never got the chance to play in the rain when I was a kid.

Mum always shooed me in whenever it started drizzling.

So I wondered and thought,

Then my curiousity (as always) got the better of me.

So I paid for my teh tarik, zipped up my bag, and walked out into the pouring rain.

At that moment, I knew I made the right decision.

The feeling of water showering down on me,

Every drip left an insatiable tingle against my skin.

I wanted more,

For the rain to really REALLY pour down on me.

I opened my arms wider to feel the rain.

I felt my lips curl into an intoxicated smile,

A bursting feeling came from the pit of my stomach,

And then, losing all resistance, I broke into laughter.

Then I twirled, like a madwoman dancing on the streets.

At that moment, I felt like a kid again.

I giggled and smiled to myself as I made my way home in the pouring rain,

Passersby in cars stared at me as though I was completely nuts.

I knew full well that my cold (I am sick at the moment) would very likely become even worse.

I also knew that when I got home, I would be greeted by my brothers with: "JIE JIE! WHY ARE YOU SO WET?"

Thank goodness my parents weren't home or else I'd get a walloping so bad....

But honestly?

I didn't care.

Because in that instance, I was just happy,

I was living in the moment.

I reveled in it.

Many times we've come across quotes and sayings that tell us to live in the moment,

We all agree to it.

Or at least, I do.

But how often do we REALLY carry it out?

When was the last time you really let lose?

Really REALLY lived in the moment, doing something completely crazy just because you felt like it?

As adults, we hang on to the perception that we must, MUST act as mature as possible, in every situation.

We say no, I'm not acting silly, I'll look stupid, people will think I'm crazy.

But really, it's you, making it up in your mind that it looks stupid.

And what do "people" know anyway?

For all you know, they could be living boring, flat lives.

Is that what you want, really?

While it may be good to be mature,

It's always great to let loose once in a while.

As I entered the working world, I started to feel the routine in my life.

I get up, go to work, do my work, come home, have dinner with my family, then I sleep.

And the next day, I do the exact same thing.

Back when I was a kid,

There was something new every day.

I could be the Yellow Ranger (of Power Rangers) saving the world from evil monsters one day,

Then a beautiful princess living in a beautiful castle the next.

Now if I were to do the things I did when I was a kid today at 20,

People would stare and say "Grow up, will you?"

But think, when you did all these things back then, weren't you happy?

Wasn't it great to just be silly, and not worry about what other people thought,

And just live?

Between looking respectable and being just plain happy, I'd choose the latter.

Wouldn't you?