I don't know about you, but I think few people in life are truly cool.
Cool. Using that word makes me "uncool" but you get what I am saying:)
I have very cool friends, so my bar is set pretty high.
To me cool is knowing and loving who you are, always. And I don't mean in an Oprah-hug-yourself way, though that is groovy. I mean like my friend Shawn.
Shawn is a grown up. He is a bear of a man that towers over people and seems intimidating until you get to know him. Which doesn't take long because though he is "shy" he could talk to anyone. He is honest, dependable, strong and kind. Old school all the way. He wears khakis and polos to work. He commutes by train and subway. He takes meetings, follows budgets and meets deadlines. He is a loving father of 2 and a happily married man for over a decade now. He is the head of a household. His days are full.
All that makes him a real man, a good person and the kind of friend everyone needs. But it doesn't make him cool. It's just the foundation for cool.
What make Shawn cool is this.
He goes to metal shows. Always has, always will. He squeezes in a show after work or on the road. And he isn't 25 anymore, you know? He isn't even 35 anymore....
Just stop and ask yourself, "What was my favorite thing to do when I was in college?" Are you still doing it? I don't mean partying or sleeping late, I mean something that made you YOU.
Don't have the energy? You are tired from work? Don't have the time? Lots of family obligations? I hear you. That's why you and I probably aren't cool.
I'll end with this. One night this summer my husband got off the phone with Shawn and said, "You will never guess what Shawn is doing. He is planning to go to a metal festival. He knows one of the bands so he called to ask if they wanted to come over to eat, because it's an all day event and he figured they would like a good meal since they are on the road. They asked if they could bring people. So now Shawn is making a grocery list because they invited all the other bands."
How cool is Shawn?
Very.
