Some people say that you should live every day like it is your last.

That is a terrible idea. I would probably rob a bank, steal a car, buy fountain drinks at Sonic and a full tank of gas and drive until the sun went down while listening to all my favorite music and hitting mailboxes that looked fragile enough to explode dramatically into a million wooded splinters and a flash of junk mailers. It would be a flame-out rockstar ending. Thelma and Louise but with one middle-aged bald guy driving a stolen Corvette through a local park and ending up on the Channel Five news.

There is a country song about living like you are dying which is similar to the first idea except you have more time for experiencing consequence and righting the wrongs of your life. There is an end but there is time. Saying you’re sorry to people you’ve hurt or visiting the redwood forest in California before global warming creates a mega-wildfire and burns all those hippies to the ground. Maybe Nevada will get a contact high on their heathen, marijuana-laden ashes that will no doubt coat the streets of Reno. This approach to life also requires you to ignore the routine or inane things in your life in favor of experience and connection. It is solid advice but doesn’t make space for the day-to-day nuance that defines life.

After this week, I have a third ideology to offer. Live like you are moving soon. You throw away excess junk. Clean small messes immediately. Make more thoughtful purchases. Save money better and don’t buy frivolous things like the newest cat therapy back scratcher combo toy. You don’t get distracted with side projects because you have a well-defined goal; to move. The house is empty and cleaner than most times. You are free of all the lingering shit stacked on shelves and crammed into the top drawer.

I feel so free.

Go forth and live like you have to move very soon. Expect for dishes. Leave extra dishes.

You’re welcome.

Underdaddy to the rescue!