last week was oddly coincidental

As all of you know Lauren and I (Cayla (haven't done that in a while! (I feel like I'm cheating with my graphing calculator in math with all these parenthesis!!))) had quite an experience on Thursday night. It involved The Buried Life (see post below), which is based off of things to do before you die.
Last Saturday I did Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an event through The American Cancer Society in which you raise money to stay overnight on the highschool's football field and walk a lot. Who in the world ever thought this would be a good idea must have been completely off their rocker, but, regardless, I went. It starts off around 1 pm and everyone is having a great time. Although, it was 97 degrees, so not that much fun. Then around like 9 pm, when everyone is hot and tired and starting to decide that this whole thing is a really stupid idea, they hit you with the "luminary ceremony." This is when they light a bunch of candles in paper bags with people who have/had cancer's names on them. Then they tell you an inspiring story about someone who has/had cancer. Then everyone cries and feels reinspired to stick it out.

This year they talked about a woman who recently died from cancer. I'm not going to retell the whole story because I didn't know her, so that would be a little creepy, but there was something that I found odd. In the presentation, they talked about her having a "Bucket List." Now, I really hate the term "Bucket List" which is why I put it in quotes. It reminds me of that one movie called "The Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nichelson, which in turn, reminds me of all the other movies I've seen with Jack Nichelson that were so boring I could not physically bear to finish watching them. I much prefer the term "List of Things to do Before you Die", because it sounds better, reminds me of The Buried Life (not Jack Nichelson), I get to capitalize Random Words and I can refer to it singularly as "The List". But anyways, I found it interesting that she also had a List. Normally, I wouldn't think so, because Lists are the rage right now. But, seeing The Buried Life and meeting them afterwards does not really constitute as normal for me.

Then, we were all happy because we were helping fight cancer. I went over to talk to my fantastic friends who I don't really see that much anymore because they go to a different school. I laughed my head off the entire time I was over there and was once again reminded that I need to spend a lot more time with them. That lasted until about 2 am, when all my friends went to sleep and I JUST WANTED TO GO HOME. I laid down on the freezing wet football field in a sleeping bag and put in my ipod to block out the group of freshmen making laps while blasting Party in the USA on their boombox.

I was trying to situate myself so the super bright field lights weren't blinding me, which another coincidence happened! This song called L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. (which is so annoying to type) by Noah and the Whale came on. They are some obscure indie band that have come on my Pandora a couple times and I downloaded this song for free from Amazon. But there is a part in this song that goes:

"On my last night on Earth
I won't look to the sky
Just breathe in the air
and blink in the light

On my last night on Earth
I'd pay a high price
To have no regrets
And be done with my life"

So that's what this whole thing is about. It's not about completing The List so you can tell people about it or be like The Buried Life. It's about in the very end, being content with that fact that you have finished everything you ever wanted to do with your life.

There you have it, it took me this long to figure out what The Buried Life boys told me straight up for 2 hours on Thursday. You just can't get through to teens these days.

Cheers,
Cayla

P.S. Lauren is apparently powering through list items now, so I will get cracking on some stuff. I'll let you know which one I decide to start with! Although #59 Travel Across Europe, will be crossed off this summer (!!!!). Unfortunatley I won't get to Spain so Lauren and I will be heading there soon!

P.P.S. I did actually survive Relay and could say that I had an "okay time." I eventually watched the sun rise with all my old friends. Which was really nice, I mean, as nice as a bunch of sleep-deprived teenagers watching the sun rise at 6 in the morning behind a cinder block high school surronded by the biggest grasshoppers I've ever seen in my life could be. But you take what you can get.