Trapped by Suburban Safety Net?

The Green Day musical, American Idiot, is coming to Philadelphia. I half-watched a commercial thinking that I may like to catch a show when I heard something to the effect of “…follow their dreams or retreat to suburban safety net…” I’ve been pondering this statement over the last few days. Is following your dreams and living in suburbia mutually exclusive? Why do they have to be? Why does living in suburbia have to mean that I’m some sort of artistic sell-out? Am I trapped in a suburban safety net?

No! Sure, it’s easy to fall into a suburban complacency when you are nestled in a cookie cutter development between a Walmart and a Target. It’s easy to drive from soccer to cheer, make dinner, watch a sitcom while folding laundry, go to bed and do it all over again the next day. It’s easy to happily stay in your comfort zone and never take any chances. But this isn’t even using a safety net.

Safety nets are for taking chances. Safety nets are for soaring high above the crowd without the risk of breaking your neck.

I’m not a sellout because of where I have chosen to live. I am a sellout if I don’t do anything with the opportunities I’ve been given. I am a sellout if I don’t take advantage of this huge safety net below me and soar.

I was going to put a clip of American Idiot or maybe Boulevard of Broken Dreams in this blog but as I watched the video mingled with the background noise of Team Umizoomi I thought, "I am too old for this much angst and so is Billie Joe – wash the eyeliner off, man!"

Maybe I am a little bit of a sellout, but f* it. Here’s a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc

Have the time of your life – use your safety net, seat belt, helmet, knee pads, whatever – just do it!