Have I gotten your attention?  For those of you reading this who know me, I apologize for the visual now stuck in your heads.  It’s scary, I know. But I believe you get to a point in your life where you’ve got to just let go and do something that you would normally consider impractical and outrageous.  The catalyst for me is the fact that whether I feel it or not, I am getting older.  And the older I get, the more people I know who are either losing loved ones or have have passed on themselves.  And you start to really understand that life on this earth is not infinite and that you need to experience all that you’ve wanted to before it’s too late.

I remember reading a story years ago about a woman who had passed away and as her husband was going through her things, he discovered all of this beautiful lingerie that she had purchased for a “special occasion” but had never actually worn.  The moral of the story was that every day should be a special occasion and if you keep waiting for that perfect timing, it may never come.  So as Nike says, just do it!  I’ve read similar stories about beautiful things like china and crystal just sitting on shelves for years when they could be shared with family and friends daily.  Aren’t those people special enough?

Sometimes the problem is that you might feel selfish doing beautiful fun things for yourself, as though special times might be important for others but not for you.  But I’ve found out that loved ones get a kick out of you doing things that bring you joy.  And for me, going topless is one of those things.  Oh, I should probably let you know that it’s not actually me going topless, it’s me in my convertible.

Again, for those who know me, you’re probably tired of hearing about my perfect little yellow VW convertible.  I had been looking at cars for years, switching back and forth from mustangs to VW, thinking the whole time that neither were very practical for driving during the winter in Nebraska.  But the few times I had had the opportunity to ride in them were magical to me and I couldn’t let go of the idea.  What I had to let go of was that feeling of practicality and more so, the feeling that I was not worth it.  So, this past January (who buys a convertible in January?), I took the plunge and bought my perfect little car.  I bought it without my husband even being in town. I called him with the details and said we needed to do this.  I’m pretty sure he thought I was nuts, but being the kind person he is, he agreed.

The first time I put the top down was the end of January and it reached a balmy 50 degrees.  I just couldn’t wait anymore.  I wore a jacket and blasted the heater and took off.  There are things you experience driving a convertible that you never noticed before.  The feel of the wind and sun – I learned early to keep a couple of hats in the car. And the smells!  The smell of freshly mowed grass, newly laid tar (I didn’t say it was ALL good : ), flowers and skunks.  Of course driving by a row of restaurants is hard when you can smell the meat cooking and I am a hamburger girl after all!  You can talk to people while you’re in the car!  Little kids are the best as they point to the car and try to get an adults attention to share.  My kids at school know the car and as I drive home from school through the neighborhood they’ll yell “hi” from their front yards.  People yell and wave from their porches. I’ve even had an entire family hit each other yelling “slug bug”  and laughing while they did it.  I grin like an idiot and sometimes laugh out loud.  It fills a happy place in my soul for some reason and that happiness spreads.  I’ve had the chance to take a few friends for a ride and it brings back memories for them.  What could be wrong about something that makes people smile?  I have to admit that I have felt guilty on a couple of occasions about buying something so impractical, but then I go for a ride in the country watching the sun go down and all that guilt disappears.

I hope this hasn’t sounded shallow as I know that material things aren’t the answer to everything.  I have a wonderful family, great friends and many other blessings in my life.  I know however that there are things in my life and in your life that you want and need to experience – things that make you YOU.  My whole point here is, grab life by the horns and do something that brings you joy NOW.  Get rid of those things in your life that do not bring you joy (they might actually bring someone else joy)  and then get out that bucket list and find ways to make them happen.  Chances are you’ll be sharing that joy with others and it may inspire them to make their lives better as well.