Why?

Way back in January when I bought tickets for the April 1 Bastille concert, I imagined April first being sunny and around 60.  Perfect weather for waiting in line to get the front row at a concert.  It could have been....

Now that it's April 1, I see the reality of April in Minnesota.  Like some cruel April Fool's joke, it is snowing and in the 20's with a nasty wind to boot!

Will we still wait in line to be at the front? Yup!

So, you might ask, why do I do such a crazy thing?  Why would a 48 year old mom freeze her fanny off to see a band with her kids...and other people's kids? Why did I drive 11 hours in September and stand in line in 102 degree weather to be at the barrier for Mumford & Sons? Why do I do all the crazy things I do?

Maybe I read too much G.K. Chesterton.

Say what?

Well, I was reading a book of his a few years ago, and the premise of it was to live while you're alive.

We're each given about 80 or 90 years here on this earth.  They go by fast, I hear.  The problem is that many people stop living long before the lid closes on the casket.  Everyday life sucks the life right out of living.  We're all breathing and our physical heart is beating, but is our heart still beating?

I want to taste and experience life, not just pass through it on the way to the grave.  I want to make memories for myself, for my friends, for my family.  To quote Ben Howard,  "I've come to know that memories Were the best things you ever had."

So, to experience life today, I'll freeze on a cold sidewalk. I'll stand at the barrier to see Bastille. I'll sing loudly. I'll jump up and down. I'll stay up way too late.  And I will make memories.