Do your friends refer to you as "the life of the party"? That is not something that I was ever known as since I was typically the one planning, cooking for and serving at the parties. It's a great thing to be known for, because it ensures repeat invitations and a booked social calendar. I was recently thinking about the phrase "life of the party" because it is the title of a soon-to-be-released movie written by one of my favorite comedic actresses, Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone. The premise of the film is that McCarthy's character decides to recover from the breakup of her marriage by doing something for herself that she has always wanted to do...go back to college and get her degree. She ends up on the same college campus as her daughter and, in typical Melissa McCarthy fashion, hilarious antics ensue!
We don't think twice about "rebooting" our iPhones or computers when they stop working at their peak performance. No time is spent wallowing in regret...we just do what we have to do to restore our device to its factory settings. We can take the same approach with our lives. If we really took the time to think about it, we could probably each come up with a lengthy list of things we have always wanted to do. Starting one of these ventures would probably give us just the reboot that we are longing for.
Today I met an 80-year old man who is taking hip-hop dance lessons! He told me that he is the oldest person in the class. I was not surprised. This very high-energy man told me that the "kids" in his class are impressed with his moves. He told me that he has always been intrigued by hip-hop music and he was looking for a new exercise routine so he decided to take care of both things at the same time. "Why would I want to go to physical therapy with people my own age? Hanging out with 20-year olds is great therapy for me!" The whole time he was talking to me, I was thinking "Wow! This guy is the life of the party!" You know that expression, "dance like no one is watching"? Well that is exactly what this 'young for his age' octogenarian is now doing every day! I was impressed with his zest for life, his enthusiasm for his new hobby/fitness routine, and the twinkle in his eyes!
What's your "hip-hop" story? Each of us has one. Something that, in the back of your mind, has been gnawing at you for years. Do you want to learn to belly dance? Do you feel as if you have the makings of a great novel deep down inside of you? Have you always wanted to be a massage therapist or a yoga instructor? Do you want to learn Italian so you can live out the storyline in the book Eat, Pray, Love? Why not make this juncture in your life the time for your personal reboot? What are you waiting for? I guess you could wait until your 80th birthday like my new hip-hop dancing friend.
This weekend my family and I will be attending the wedding of a dear family friend. I cannot wait to see the groom's adorable 3-year old nephew dancing at the wedding. It will probably bring me right back to the night 12 years ago when my two sons were 3 and 4 years old and they danced all night at my sister's wedding like no one was watching. In my humble opinion, amidst the many people in attendance who were all having a great time, these two boys were indeed the life of the party.
We received a beautifully engraved invitation in the mail to our friend's wedding. There is not much else in your life that you will receive an engraved invitation to participate in. So if you are waiting for an invitation to your own reboot party, or waiting for that perfect time, or the right amount of money in your bank account, or the day when the planets are perfectly aligned...you may very well miss your chance to reboot your life and live out your dreams. Just think, pretty soon you could be known as the LIFE OF THE PARTY.