I wish life was still that simple. Or not simple, whatever.

Now when I listen to a shell, I laugh silently inside – unable to go to the place where I was so long ago. Little, unemployed and…sheltered. After moments of pressing the shell so hard against my ear, it started to itch – I realized I was 23 years old and listening to shells in my little cousin’s bedroom during a wedding shower…

Anyway, I was extremely inspired by my shell discovery. I’ve been getting into a bad habit lately of being unable to go past what I think I’m capable of. Let me explain. When I was in college, I was the shell. Ok, when you stop laughing and snorting snot all over your keyboard, please keep reading.

When I was in college, I looked up into the sky and saw myself doing anything. I would wonder where on earth I was going to end up. HOW would I GET there? Now that I’m “grown up” and employed I laugh silently inside, unable to get to that dreamy and superficial place of wonder. I want to go there again and I want everyone to know that it’s OK to go there.

We graduate. We cry. We say goodbye. We thrash madly to get a job to become successful. We get a job and become successful. And sometimes, we keep wondering. Is this what I’m supposed to be doing right now? Is there room for me to grow? I don’t want to feel shameful when I think these things, or like some kind of fail whale. A little bit of success can make you feel both successful and comfortable with wanting a little more. And we should want more! We should want to grow within a job. We should want to wonder if are exerting all we can to make the job a fabulous experience. It’s good to know that while I don’t want to make myself feel cocky – I want to make it OK to dream and imagine where I want my life going.

Because in a way (don’t hate me, I’m not on drugs) my life is a shell. I used to sit and listen to what that little shell told me. It told me to wonder and dream. I want to sit and listen – and hear something I don’t know everything about.

Juno said it herself, “WOAH, DREAM BIG.” Let the world take you wherever you let it and let it. There should be no apologies for dreaming past success. Life is just too short to marinate in goals and dreams that aren’t completely magical.

Woah. I blame this entire epic post on the fact that I’m watching Extreme Makeover Weight-loss Edition.

I’m going to say what everyone is thinking. Ludacris is a modern day Shakespeare. Yeah, I said it, someone had to. If you don’t know every word to “Roll Out (My Business)” then I’m not sure you can be considered an American.

What could be better than a modern day Shakespeare? Pair him with today’s JFK or some other awesome leader of yesteryear. That of course, is Barack “Yeah I did coke, so what?!” Obama. Luda plus Obama? It’s like Batman and Robin, peanut butter and jelly, Paris and Nicole, boxed wine and passing out on a sidewalk! They just make sense together.

Naturally I was psyched when Barack and Luda first met up to talk about AIDS, empowering the youth or bling. My hopes were built up by a conversation that I could only assume they had.

Ludacris: YOU’S A HOOOO, OHHHHH!

Barack: Together… we can change America, Ludacris.

Ludacris: Yeah man, you’s going for that number one spot.

Barack: I want you, to be… my running mate.

Ludacris: YEAHHH Baby. Hells YES we CAN OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LUDA! YEPPP!

My dreams started to become closer to reality when Ludacris dropped his new song “Obama’s Here”. Brilliance, sheer brilliance. I’d even call it poetic if poetry wasn’t so boring. He even dropped the idea of him being the Vice President! I felt faint with excitement, Ludacris said all the things I simply couldn’t articulate. My personal favorite line? “Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant.”

However, things have taken a turn for the worse. Obama wasn’t as crazy about Ludacris’ single as I was. He formally REJECTED Luda’s delicately put-together song. I’m crushed. According to Ludacris, Obama would’ve even give him a “special pardon if [he’s] ever in the slammer.”

Barack! You’re going to pardon him for a future drive-by or shoot up of a club, but you won’t accept his praising lyrics? Ludicrous.