Day 2, Smile 2, Post 2, Catch 22, Blue 22 set hike: Why I love playing hooky.

*SPOILERS* : I left work "sick" today. Lock up your daughters, alert the authorities, whatever it is you do. I'm a terrible person. Then again, if it's good enough for Ferris Bueller, it's damn sure good enough for me.

There's something inherently fanciful about not having to work when you're supposed to. Seriously, do you ever call off work/call in to school/decide to skip class? Isn't it absolutely liberating? Don't get me wrong, I'm not recommending losing your job/failing out of school for attendance problems. That's not fun. I'm just saying that fun had while you're supposed to be working is just BETTER than normal fun. How much fun do you have playing hooky?

To me, it seems like the answer is "a lot." You've more than likely heard that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. This is why, as a principle, I don't ever lay my plans down in strange places unattended. It's got multiple purposes, obviously.

1. I never have to actually plan anything. Unplanned actions have more potential, and therefore are more likely to be fun.

2. My plans usually involve neither men or mice this way

3. Lord knows you can't lay something down unattended and get it through airport security. Last thing I need is the NSA impounding my brain.

The other benefit? If all of your actions are spontaneous, then what part of your life could possibly become mundane? What if everything is a surprise, if everything was an adventure? What if everything had just a little bit of panache? Life would be a hell of a lot more exciting, wouldn't it?

Of course, we're all a little too smart here. We realize that can't happen. We make routines, we keep schedules, we know that we eat dinner at six and go to bed at ten and wake up for work the next morning. Humans really are creatures of habit. Seriously, extrapolate that a little bit. Breakfast/Work/Lunch/Home/Dinner/Bed/Breakfast.../eventually death. We can be the most boring creatures in the universe when we let ourselves. If we allow ourselves to become that idea, that concept...then we really change from creatures of habit to creatures of wasted potential.

Sometimes, I call off work just to not become my creature of habit. Today, I left work early (OH NO) and it felt like I had absolutely limitless potential. I know that because of my being "sick" I won't have to work tomorrow. The thought alone makes me think I could fly tomorrow, if I tried hard enough. Think about it: Monday morning now has eight entire hours of limitless potential that I hadn't planned for. Anything I do, now, is going to be new and exciting. If I walk to the park, if I go to the chinese place down the road and write on my laptop; hell, if I sit at home playing Warcraft I'll know I did something completely unexpected. That's worth something! If I know I have time to do something, anything that I'll really enjoy, there's no chance to walk out of that feeling sad.

In the end, I suppose that's worth a grin (and 15 minutes of your time.) Maybe I'll find my next smile playing hooky tomorrow.

Anyway, my question for you (go ahead and leave a comment, if you wish) is simple: Do you like playing hooky, and do you have a fantastic hooky story to share with the class? Let me know what you think. Until then, smile: at least Y211+1 didn't come today.

-Eli