Me... on a bar crawl?

Yes... the day arrived where I was finally able to legally step into a bar and consume an alcoholic beverage whenever I see fit. Unfortunately, my schedule disagrees. Hence, as of last night at 5pm, I'd been to only one bar in East Lansing since those lovely early hours of October 22, when I became legal. A little life reflection showed me that I need to get out more, and I committed myself to a bar crawl put on by Mortar Board, a senior class honor society (a little ironic... I know). I invested in my authentic Mortar Board bar crawl tee two weeks in advance, therefore dis-enabling me from backing out at the last second because I've just got too much to do, which is usually the case when it comes to me and heading out for a night. And so, I went.

Here I am, 24 hours later, $25 poorer, and what do I have to show for it? A more thorough acquaintance with the East Lansing bar scene, a bunch of new friends I may or may not ever see again, and best of all, one more outrageous memory racked up and filed under MSU: the undergrad years. And I'm happy with that. Really, I am.

Because, to be cliche, we all need to stop and smell the roses... otherwise, one day, I'll open my eyes one morning as a college graduate with all the pride that comes along side such an accomplishment, but without the adorning memories that must compliment such a feat. Everything we do must have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is more materialistic than we'd like to admit. But by keeping underlying intangible purposes to life that in turn catalyze all other aspects of existence, then I feel it's possible to achieve happiness by keeping such purposes as a guide. Yes, this is quite theological and ideological, and perhaps confusing in its abstract nature, but to me it seems to make sense.

My purposes, or the things most important to me, are my relationships--both with God and mortals, both lasting and spontaneous--, the footprints I leave through my experiences. While I am here, in this world, consuming and depleting resources, I need to uphold my part, and positively affect those that I have the opportunity to do so to. Each experience is an opportunity to affect someone, to get to know yourself better, to get to know the world around you better, and to live life a little more fully. Each experience offers a chance to develop oneself further, enabling you to leave better and more frequent footprints. And if that means enjoying culture and life with new friends in a bar, then so be it.

(I think I just rationalized my bar crawl as an enriching experience... what do you think?)