Be The Chicken
A short while later we heard the familiar, yet slightly annoying, polka tune begin to play. Then it happened. Karen emerged from behind a curtain covered in full, head to toe, fluffy yellow chicken gear. The kids went crazy and began to dance with her. The absolute best part of the whole thing is that she made the choice to totally own being the chicken. She could have easily phoned it in, but she didn’t. She didn’t pass on putting on the head piece, she went all in. She was the best dancing chicken I’d ever seen and the smile on little Gavin’s face was, well, priceless! I stood there in awe and thought to myself, “If you have to be the chicken, then go for it and own it… BE the chicken!” I knew in that moment that this special memory will be one of those that we’ll happily talk about forever. It’ll begin with the question, “Do you remember that time when?”
Alan Morinis says that the meaning of life is to live with full-bodied gusto. He feels that often the choice isn’t always so obvious to us. The Bible tells us to “Choose Life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) The Jewish Rabbinic notes, called the Jerusalem Talmud, says that when we die we are called to give a final accounting for our lives. The Talmud says we’ll be held accountable for every pleasure in this world, which was available to us, that we didn't enjoy. If we are to become all that we are destined to be, all that we dream to be, and all that God wants us to be, then we have to go all in. I feel that in order to experience pure joy, we need to become who we were born to be. Les Brown said, “Be willing to go all out, in pursuit of your dream. Ultimately it will pay off. You are more powerful than you think you are.” Joe Namath said, “If you aren’t going all way, why go at all?” I feel in order to truly choose life, like the Bible instructs us to, we need to be all in. There’s no halfway.
I’m guilty of half-way living, let’s get real. How often does this happen, in all areas of life, when we just phone it in? How many diets did I dabble in for years, going through the motions, giving it a half-hearted attempt? How about one every two days! I can’t even begin to tell you how many books I’ve started to write, but never finished. How many projects did I do the bare minimum to get by, going through the motions? More than I dare to count. Perhaps fear of failure, even fear of success, and definitely fear of what others would think, holds me back. The truth is your life isn’t yours if you constantly think about what others think. If you want to start jogging, go all in, and plan for a half marathon, or go for a full marathon. If you want to go back to school, don’t just talk about it, sign up for a class! If you are too embarrassed to go to the gym because of your wiggly bits, just decide to go all in! What are we waiting for? There’s something liberating about going all in, taking that risk, and truly going for it.
If you find yourself in the day-to-day routine doldrums, going through the motions, it’s time to break out and set yourself free. I dare you to go ahead, cut yourself loose, and don’t worry about what others may think. There’s an enormous difference between just existing and being fully, joyfully, and consciously alive. A day can be just another day, or you can make it into something great. Either way a day will go by. The next time your spirit moves you to do something crazy, fun or wild – do it! Let yourself get carried away and caught up in a moment that’s just too good to pass up. Life is short. Living life with gusto and enthusiasm feeds vitality into your soul. Your inner spirit is thirsty for life’s water! Don’t live in fear. Why not take a leap of faith and really mean it? Take action. Follow your heart. Don’t spend so much of your time and energy on things that really don’t make a big difference at the end of the day. Follow your passions. Let yourself be happy and laugh out loud. Once you decide not to spend your life just going through the motions, and you make a commitment to develop your ability to live your life in the moment, you will find that gusto.
I promise to take this advice myself. I vow to take control of my life and not let life live me. I’m working to not care what other people think. I want to live as the saying goes, to dance like nobody’s watching, love like you’ve never been hurt, sing like nobody’s listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth. I want to dance like a toddler. They don’t even care if there’s music. I want to have the courage and gusto to be like my sister Karen, and go all in. I want to create special memories for others so they’ll look back and say, “Remember that time when?” I want to look back on the moment I’m living right now and smile because this is life. I choose to live it. Dr. Maya Angelou said, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” And by style, I think that includes being a chicken!
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