To start this off, I feel like I should explain where "mind the gap" comes from and how it relates to me. When I was 16 I was fortunate enough to go on a European adventure with some classmates. While I can admit that I didn't fully appreciate the amount of culture and art that surrounded me at the time, I absolutely learned a lot about myself while on that trip.
The first stop on our itinerary was London. While in the hotel I experienced my first "taste" of alcohol. I hated it--but drank it anyway. Maybe it was an attempt to "expand my horizons", "branch out from my parents", or give in to "peer pressure." Whatever the cliche reason, I was absolutely intoxicated.
We found ourselves at a London Underground train station which was a brand new concept to me. I had never been on any form of public transit. Well an airplane...but that doesn't really count. There was a lady with a British accent saying "mind the gap please" over and over through some sort of PA system they rigged throughout the station. Due to the level of intoxication and lack of experience in train stations I found the repetitive warnings hilarious. I apparently found it so hilarious that I did NOT mind the gap. My left leg slipped between the platform and the train and wound up with a long gash down my shin. Dumb. And perfect considering how many warnings had been given about minding that damn gap.
The point of this blast from the past is that no matter how many times someone tells you what you should/should not do--you will have to make the choice for yourself. For those that know me, I have a hard time letting go of what I'm "supposed" to be doing and actually doing what I want. I still have a small scar from that trip and I couldn't be happier about it. Even though the scrape hurt like hell the next day--it reminds me that I am free to do whatever I want. And clearly I will.
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