Memorial Daze

I hope you working stiffs have enjoyed this long weekend. Although technically Memorial Day is not a happy holiday (we’re supposed to be remembering fallen soldiers), maybe you found solace in grilling or drinking or watching a sporting event. Memorial Day is like a regular (secular) Joe’s Jewish holiday, because our holidays are all depressing and usually revolve around death. For those of you who have lost friends or family members in armed conflicts I am truly sorry. I’d hug you if I could. If we don’t know fallen servicemen or women the rest of us should take a moment to remember deceased loved ones. Should being the operative word. When I was younger my family always took this three-day weekend to go swimming and party with our neighbors and friends. In high school it was an extra night I could get stoned. In college it was…I don’t remember, I was probably high. Now it’s just another day I have to go to work. Fuck retail.

There should have been a point to that rambling drivel but I think it was lost amid the haze of this three-day-long hangover I’ve been nursing (and then feeding, and then nursing, and then feeding, etc.). Last night might have been the pinnacle (or tipping point?). Don’t worry, the end of this ungodly bender I’ve been on is in sight. I’m booked solid every night this week so there is more boozing to do, but big important changes are approaching so my bad behavior will be shelved in the very near future. By my calculations I’ve got about a week more to blow out my body and mind and enjoy all the hedonistic pleasures I’m currently allowing myself. Then I’ll get down to business.

Lately I’ve found that to be the key to self-discovery and understanding. You don’t always have to take the healthy route. You can allow yourself — for a measured period of time — to be stupid and silly, to go batshit fucking crazy, to take risks, to screw whatever budget you normally adhere to, to completely drain yourself physically and emotionally, or to withdraw from emotion altogether. There’s a lot you can learn about yourself and the world by allowing yourself. Maybe it’s just the hangover, but I think this makes sense.

Fifteen more minutes and I’m out of work for the day. Off to a barbecue and then a Happy Hour somewhere on the other side of town. Just another night in a string of nights filled with alcohol and possibility. Fun nights. Once this phase ends and I recalibrate my mind and body I’ll have a lot to draw on and return to and share with you. Trust me, you’ll get a kick out of it.