YOLO - What Brings Texting, Drake and Manolo's Together?

You Only Live Once, That's The Motto, YOLO

Yeah – I am a hep cat.  I am hip to what all the cool kids are saying these days.  One word statements that say it all.  No fully worded sentences need apply.

Fail. Epic. Random. Same.

But, even these games are getting played out.  Being replaced with the latest kick of shortening words to within an inch of their letters.  Supe – short for super.  Ush - (pronounced you-sh) - short for usual.  Obv - short for obvious or obviously – and the one my two teenage boys and their friends seem to use the most.  Obv!

And now, YOLO.  You Only Live Once (although technically, this is a phrase being shortened). Perhaps it’s the result of the text-message-driven world we live in.  Reducing everything we say and do in a day into bit-sized glyphs that once resembled recognizable speech.  A side effect of our wired world, if you will, that allows us to connect to anyone or anything at the exact instant when we need or desire it.  The ultimate in Id satisfaction.

Or is it a symptom of something else? 

We are an impatient lot.  We drive too fast.   We demand instant service.  That was my parking spot!  I don’t have to signal to get in your lane!! Those rules are for the other guy.  We don’t say hello anymore.  This text is more important than you.  The waitress is too slow. Don’t you know I am in a hurry?? We walk, heads down while texting.  You will move for me.  Must do ten things at same time.  Why are these traffic lights so slow!!! Are those doughnuts?  Even our thoughts are impatient :)

The fascination and obsession with all things fast and quick continues on.  From quickie marriages to quickie divorces.  From get-rich quick schemes to quick weight loss plans.  Don’t even get me started on the narcotic-like obsession we have with fast food!  Have we lost our ability to focus or is the need for instant gratification driving a darker, attention-deficit demon within us?

Hold that thought while I get back on back on topic. . .

YOLO - *You Only Live Once*. The latest club anthem popularized by Drake (a good ‘ol Canadian boy) in his latest album drop (of course, I must mention Chris Brown here lest Team Breezy gets all up in my face.)  So what does this have to do with anything?

You Only Live Once.  I thought that would be a good anthem, a good motto for me as I embark on my post-cancer life.  I took the meaning as . . I dodged a bullet.  I have a second chance in life so I am going to make the most of it.  By loving, living and learning to take care of this body and my health like I had never done before.  And by golly, I was going to share my experience with the world.  Unleash the hounds, as I said in my first post.