Nikki Yeager

Two of my friends are going to Egypt in the next 6 months. Two speak Chinese after living in China and one invented a sports bra. Another one is starting a magazine, another finishing a book. One is working on two television shows simultaneously and all of them support my lifestyle. All of them brainstorm and laugh with me, share their life decisions and indulge in mine. 

No wonder. We're all birds of a feather and just happen to flock together. We're all slightly insane and slightly delusional. The successful people always are (or the near-successful). After all, making it big has so much to do with being yourself and so little to do with formalities.

Which is why I'm going to be thankful for the few people who wander in and out of my life as the epitome of convention. They mean well, they just chose a different path than I and the unwarranted advice I recieve from the do-as-I'm-told not-as-I-want perspective is nice to hear once in a while.

Nice because it makes my blood boil and my brain hurt. It makes me want to lash out and start screaming. It makes me grit my teeth and smile silently. After all, my life needs no defense because the only girl who's living it is in love with every waking moment.

However, that doesn't change the fact it makes my ears hurt and my eyes cringe when I hear advice from others who so chose the path that was taken by all of those family members before them. Those people who are in school without a career aspiration, drinking away evenings with no necessary desire (I'm not insinuating all college students do this- I'm just mentioning a very specific minority who happen to chat with me once in a while). Those people who then tell me I'm doing it wrong. Me- who pays my bills by being a so called 'free sprit'.

The reason I'm thankful is simple. I forget about reality on occasion. All of my friends being slightly delusional (in only the best way) means I can forget the majority of America is grounded and slightly more predictable. Meeting those people reminds me what average is. And knocks my dreams back down to earth. It grounds me, makes me evaluate my life, appreciate it and rework any aspects that aren't spot on.

So to the person with advice- Thanks for the suggestions but it just so happens I have deliberately fashioned my life this way in order to maximize my enjoyment and minimize my boredom. Which explains my constant smile. Life is good in this Chinatown apartment.