Happy Saturday! I hope today finds you with peace and kindness. The weekend is a great time for bonding with those we hold close. It is also a great time for personal reflection.

Today, I am reflecting on an event that occurred during one of my causal daily “holy fuck, am I age 40 or 400’ strolls around the complex. Let’s set some groundwork. Facts you’ll need to complete todays story include:

I live on the top floor of a 3 story apartment complex next to one of the Phoenix Metro Light Rail Stations.

Phoenix is ranked number 7 nationally for homeless per capita. Just a 4000 population decrease from my homeland of the Seattle Adjacent.

Out dog is scared of her farts. Seriously. Welcome to rehabbing a MSR. (MSR: Mexican Shelter Rescue)

I have children. I know things. 🤣

I absolutely refuse to take the 18 horse pills that don’t work to control my ptsd’s multiple personality disorder. After 15 years of searching for a Medical Professional that actually LISTENS, I took the green pill.
🍃Cannabis Cures. 🍃

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As in every apartment complex, there is usually a decent population of school kids. During my afternoon stroll, they are all out after returning home from school. Extremely loud children for no apparent reason is not something I enjoy. You do not need to scream over each other to converse…

I have children… I know things.

It was around 2:50pm as I reached the last set of stairs. The dog had sprinted up them, nearly yanking my shoulder out of socket. Contemplating what it’s going to take to reach the door and keep this four legged anxiety ball from darting at the random high pitched nonsense, I took a deep breath and started up the stairs. About the same time as my foot hit the first stair, some poorly worded child elated the word that has lived too long..

YOLO

There are a few things that will stop me dead in my tracks and shake my head in utter disappointment at the failure of society. This is most definitely one of them.

It was a sad day back in 2011 when Drake and Lonely Island made this the ‘battle cry of a generation’. What is annoying is, it’s more than just some ignorant shit my generation put out for the ignorant masses to be funny. That part is just left out leaving the not so witty interjection, dripping its YOLO glitter dust all over lawsuits.

Over a word. I feel stupid for just writing this many times… and y’all are arguing over the rights… ignorance at its finest imo.

The term ‘You Only Live One’ can be traced back as early 19th Century. The phrase is documented as growing from 1940 to 2000. However, I personally was introduced to the concept a different way.

Being from the Seattle Area and raised by Reformed Hippies, it’s safe to assume I understand something about The Grateful Dead. Allow me to reach into my history facts, and bring you a beautiful story for a word that really needs to be done.

Grateful Dead Drummer Mickey Hart recalls his personal story from Vanity Fair article.

‘My wife found this place in a brochure of homes in Sonoma County, but it was an out-of-date brochure. The person who was selling it took it off the market—he wanted too much for it. [But] we just loved the place. It was too much for us, a lot of money at that time, 22 years ago. And we just looked at each other. We wouldn’t leave until we made the deal with the owner. We told him, “Just go take your clothes and take the paintings . . . We’ll pay you list price, you know, here’s cash and go.” [Laughs.] “I’m going on tour. When I get off of tour, July 5th, I want to live here.” And so we just looked at each other and we said, “Hey, you only live once!”

‘We shortened the name because we didn’t want to talk about it with people. The Grateful Dead ranch used to be called Mickey’s Ranch, or the Grateful Dead Ranch, or something like that. I didn’t want any of that. So we immediately named it YOLO. It’s a very special place and a four-letter word that really describes the attitude and everything pretty much behind it. Our whole mindset at the time, and the idea that to enjoy yourself while you’re here, at least you know you’re here. All the records I make, all the music and the projects, they all come out of YOLO. It was really a masterful stroke, just kind of sucking it up, taking a deep breath, and saying, “You only live once. Let’s go for it, baby.”

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As of September 15, 2016 YOLO was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary along with the even more influential company of ‘Squee’ and ‘Oompa Loompa’. Fucking intelligence at its peak, yall.

So, you tell me what’s wrong with the kids. -🍋💋