When I was a little kid, one of my favorite shows was the Magic School Bus. I used to watch it constantly, and probably saw each episode several dozen times over. I loved the wonderment it instilled in me about science. A wonderment that has stuck with me today. There was also something else I have always remembered from the show. It was the tag line of Ms. Frizzle, the crazy science teacher everyone wished to have as their own. She always said, “Take chances! Make mistakes! Get Messy!” which to a little kid sounds cool, powerful, and inspiring. It makes you want to run out and explore, collect bugs, run crazy science experiments…that somehow always turned into baking soda and vinegar volcanoes.
But time passed on and I grew older and moved onto other things like all kids do. I changed schools, met new people and friends, learned surprisingly a fair bit in middle school and high school. And I’m continuing to learn more here in college. But one thing I’ve realized, and what brings Ms. Frizzle to mind is that I take no chances. I’m terrified to make mistakes. And I’m disgusted at the thought of getting messy. I live in a self-created personal bubble, avoiding all the risk in life, any mistakes I may possibly make. I refuse to take any risks. And while I’ve learned so much in my short time here on this planet, I’ve experienced so little, mostly because of my own doing. And the more and more I think about it, the more and more I realize how absolutely boring my life has become. I waste most of my time on the internet because it’s safe and controllable. My “hobbies” basically consist of StumbleUpon and reading webcomics. I have no drive or ambition for anything anymore. It’s utterly pathetic. I feel like I’m wasting so much of my life.
But as much as I want to change, it absolutely terrifies me to do so. To leave this safe little bubble I have established for myself in the world feels like such an insurmountable challenge sometimes. So many times I have told myself “today is the day I change and start making things better” only to turn around sometimes hours later back into the safe old routine. And it just frustrates me further. And I realize this is something that I have to deal with; that no one will do it for me, so I don’t expect people to tell me how to fix this. I don’t want people to tell me how to fix this. Nor am I seeking pity or sympathy from anyone. No, I am writing this down so that I have something to look back at and remind myself of why I need to change how I live. That I need to stop hiding in my bubble and start living more. I need to go out and experience things and grow as a person and not just wither away in mediocrity.
And I say this to anyone who’s bothered to read this: Don’t be like me. And certainly don’t let yourself become like me. Find a passion and run with it, learn about and experience this world to the fullest you can, and make sure you take chances, make mistakes and get messy.
