How NOT to grow up.

 

Since I was a kid I loathed people who would say the words “Grow Up”. It’s probably one of the most insulting thing you could say to me. Call me every name in the book, yep I’ve heard it ALL. Talk a bunch behind my back, yeah, I’ve been there too often. Something about telling me to “Grow Up” is just down right rude.

It’s telling me that my light hearted ways. My giggling, my random funny thoughts, having a conversation as I pull out a mustache on a stick, YES I’m listening but life is just TO short NOT to throw a funny mustache in there once in a while.

I mean this particular mustache came out when I was up to my eyeballs in numbers working budget with my best friend at a TRAC event. I just had to stop and mustache some funny pictures. Drink my coffee. Do a little dance. Sit back down and then back to work.

When my husband and I were engaged we made a promise to each other. A promise that all couples, and good friends should make. That we never grow up.

YES I am a grown up at times. WAY more often the I’d like. I’m super serious about our house budget, about the care of my children, what we eat, about my pets lives and care, family and friends lives. When I have to be an adult I am.

BUT.

If you see me goof off, bust out the mustache, or just start doing the running man where I stand. If it’s in line at preschool dropping off my son. Or in the office at the TRAC house, know it’s to entertain myself, others around me. Hoping to put a smile on faces, lighten the mood, and just take a break from the stress of life.

I must confess I went to tell my 6 year old daughter to grow up, but before the words came out of my mouth I had a fast reality check with myself and reminded myself she’s ONLY 6. To remind her and her brother that life is what you make it. Be silly, be random, be down right weird, dance often, even with out music, own your unconventional self and be proud of it all.

I had posted this picture of myself on face book and a good friend of mine commented on how she envy’s my carefree ways, and wishes to be like that.

It’s super easy to not be a grown up. Here’s how I do it…

1. Go get mustaches. These on the stick were in Wal-Mart's under a dollar section. I also have one from a .25 vending machine. (note stickers hurt when removed)

2. Own it. Easy to say. Hard to do. Owning up to your silliness is hard if you’re worried what others think. Stop worrying about what others think. I’ve been doing it for 34 years.

3. Balance. Know that in a meeting it’s PROABLY not a good idea to bust out the mustache or running man dance. BUT at the end of the meeting do the running man out the door. That’s acceptable.

4. Don’t try. Again easy to say after 34 years, but people KNOW when your trying to be funny for attention. The goal is to be yourself, and let the funny random happen. I may make a foil hat for myself, BUT I don’t point it out. I don’t even do it when anyone’s in the room. Just do it. Wear it. Act like it’s normal. It’s normal to me!

5. Don’t do it to much. That get’s annoying.

6. Don’t push it. You QUICKLY learn who tolerates funny, silly random things and who’s got a stick in their ass so far they look constipated when they try to react to you. Some situations it’s just not worth my energy. That’s when I just take a nap. (not kidding. Note if your in a room with me and I look as if I’m sleeping, I’m trying to imagine anywhere else I’d rather be) If you get a serious person to smile or giggle. You’ve done it. Don’t push it. Just enjoy that one little giggle or smile.

7. Enjoy it for yourself. Along with #4 you have to enjoy doing this. It’s got to be from the heart. Something that entertains you. If others get amusement from my randomness good for me bonus for them.

8. Practice. It takes practice to be Un-grown-up. If you’ve been a serious person your whole life, and portray that image, trying to just bust out random weirdness could get you some fast judgments, possible scripts for medication you don’t want.  If you can handle the looks, the eye rolls, the rude whispers from the jealous, and the frowny faces from the judgers. Then you’ve got it.

9. Laugh at yourself. It’s YOUR life. It’s funny! I love to share stories of when I trip and fall and no one I know saw it. I love to share messed up hair, and bad make up. It makes you normal to others.

10. Life motto. “Life’s to short to take serious. No one get’s out alive anyway”

Hope my 10 ways to not be a grown up remind you that life is yours. Take it a bit less serious. I think my 4 year old son has it down perfect. Many of those 10 tips won’t work for everyone. I’m a extrovert so it comes easy to me to just be out there. Do what works for you. Oh and a back story, I grew up with rude clique-y people judging and mocking me through Jr. High, it wasn’t until High School when I found friends who accepted me for ME. I was often told to never change. I’ve never forgot those words and notes from friends. Be you. If you’ve got a freak flag. FLY it proud.

Now my question to you… how are you less grown up?

JCat McGack

Back to life

I must confess to those of you who are new here. This blog is my 4th attempt to have a blog with out being out of line, drama producing and down right rude.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard some of those bloggers get the best traffic. But mine wasn’t good. It was babble and anger mixed with insanity.

I’ve never been about traffic on my blog. As much as I am an attention seeking poodle. And I DO love comments on my posts. I do it for the sake of emptying my brain out, and hoping some one else out there reads me and says “Damn. I’m not the only one”

I can’t promise that with this 4th blog I’ll be swear free. That wouldn’t be me. I will say I’ve learned that some posts are just as good with other words put in. But there will be times I’m not going to hold back. If that deters you from reading me, well then move on and find a safe blogger that keeps all her F words to herself.

I have to say my first blog in 2007 was when my daughter (now 6) was just one. I used it to vent, as a Post Partum Diary of sorts, and to tell my stories.

I started another a few years later, and that was still a PPD or by then a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder type of blog.

THIS blog. THIS is me. PPD and PTSD free.

PPD and PTSD really shut me down. I lived life, but having children made me sad, and bitter. And I spent 6 years trying to get ME back. The funny, silly, random, weird, happy-go-lucky me.

About a year ago I came back.

I’m still working towards being more social. Remembering to call my friends, to not shut out phone calls. I don’t know why PPD and PTSD did that to me. Why I shut myself in.

I realize I’m back. Different then before kids. But it’s a new me. It’s a revised version. The 2012 JCat McGack.

Socially I’m so much better. For example in the last few months I’ve accepted a play date trip to the Zoo. I’ve had play dates at the library. And 14 Princesses at my daughters 6th birthday didn’t make me twitch. I went to my good friends son’s birthday and was elated to see old friends, and missed my good friend who wasn’t there. Hoping to make plans to all hang out in the future.

I’ve been seriously involved with the local art center. I’m going to be on their board! I want to blog and be involved in the local Patch news website.

Making new friends with the Three Rivers Art Council has made my life feel whole again. Chill people who ALL have one thing in common. We BIG puffy red heart art of ALL kinds. My best friend comes with me often and it makes my world happy.

My home life is more organized, and my family life has always been my #1 priority. I feel energized more often, I feel creative again, I feel normal. And don’t laugh at normal. I mean normal by I feel like me with a new twist to it normal.

It’s not just the pot of coffee talking here. It’s me.

Hello. Nice to be back to life. It’s time to do what I do. Socialize. Create. Be. Live.

I’ve got this,

JCat McGack