It was a dark and stormy night once upon a time...

I have a writer's confession to make.

I like cliches.

I'm a little ashamed of it.  After all, you're taught pretty much once you leave elementary school that cliches are "sooooo yesterday".  Overused and not creative.

But they once were creative.  Once saying someone's heart thumped in their chest caused someone to nod in approval.  Once wracking one's brain was clever.  At one time, a blanket of snow opened a reader's mind to a new scene.

Why Manners Matter

Don't chew with your mouth open.

Don't put your elbows on the table.

Don't belch in public.  If you do burp, say, "Excuse me."  

Bring the food to your mouth, not your mouth to the food.

Don't pick your nose.


Have you ever asked yourself what is the point of manners?

They don't really do anything.  Not anything important anyway.  It's not like The Ten Commandments or the Amendments of the Constitution.  No one is going to get hurt or die if you put your elbows on the table.  Is there really a point to knowing which side of the plate the fork goes on?

The Creative Elite

The word for them is snobs.  They would probably prefer to be called aficionados or experts.  But no, the word for them is still snobs. 

They are those people who look down on you for your lack of knowledge about Beethoven and Debussy.  Who judge you because you don't know the difference between pointillism and impressionism.  Who look at your feeble attempts at a novel and laugh out loud.  

Every field has them, and in the creative arts, the opportunities for snobbishness increase exponentially.  Because creativity is often not always a skill taught but sometimes a talent acquired.  Some people are just born with it, and learning all of the extras is the easy part.

On top of that, there is the specialized language.  When you as a classical music person a question, they will answer with words like adagio, diminuendo, and other Italian words that you have no idea what they mean when they could have just said "slow" and you would've understood what they've said.

These elite use the terms of their field to differentiate who is in the know and who isn't.  It's a pretty good litmus test.  A few can pass through the first few uses, but once you keep going through your laundry list of words, pretty soon the intruder will stumble and you'll know them for who they really are: a wannabe. 

Deep Questions, Simple Answers

Throughout all the years of my short life, I have never lacked something to do.  Between school, work, my writing, church, relationships, friends, etc. I've always had a goal, something to work toward.  Busy is one of those words that describes me well.

However, even though I always had activity in my life, sometimes I struggled with the point of it all.

Last year in January, I wrote a blog post about struggling with courage.  I was having a hard time at the point, adjusting to being a newlywed, changes at my job, and shifts in family dynamics.  I wanted to know what my purpose was on this earth.  I knew I had purpose; I'm passionate about a lot of things.  But how did that fit in the bigger picture?  Where was the culmination of all my passions supposed toward?

After daily sifting through possible answers to my wonderings, I have discovered when it comes down to it, the answer is simple.

The Adult Threshold: Age 25

Winter Formal Picture - I'm 16!

If you're a young adult, you know what new things you can (or cannot) do once you hit certain benchmark ages.

At 16, you can get your license!!!!!!!

At 18, you can drive minors legally, buy cigarettes, buy lottery tickets, go to prison, vote, etc.

At 21, you can drink alcohol and you can drink more alcohol.

And at age 25, you can rent a car without insanely high fees (among other things).  The government considers you "responsible" now.  There is nothing left to look forward to.  This is your last benchmark. Well, until you hit 65.  And that's not something you're looking forward to.

I recently hit my last "young" benchmark.  I no longer have any age-restricted, coming-of-age celebrations to look forward to that aren't decades.