Mad as a Hatter

"Have I gone mad?" asks the Mad Hatter to Alice.

She replies, "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

I don't think I entirely agree with Alice's statement - we would first have to decide on a definition for "best" as it applies to people. But I will readily concede that, somewhat less ambiguously, all the most interesting people are off their rockers. Normal is so boring.

Sometimes I question my own sanity. I'm currently at a life crossroads. I've begun to negotiate the maze that is the path to grad school and have started to figure out how to relocate not only cross-country, but across country borders. It is indeed time for me to move on from my current job (grad school has always been on the table) and I'm ready to explore a new city full of possibilities. But I would be lying if I tried to tell you with a straight face, that this isn't in large part due to a certain boy in Vancouver.

So I've been consulting with friends and family about my big plans. Over the weekend I had breakfast with a high school friend of mine and I asked her point blank, "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Yes," she answered, but she didn't follow up with Alice's reassurances. Instead she continued, "depending on how it all works out."

Well this got me thinking. No one likes to be told in all seriousness that they're out of their mind. So I took some time to ponder whether I thought I was crazy. I couldn't entirely rule out the possibility - not being able to foretell the future and all. But I was struck by a profound realization. It would be crazier not to embark on this adventure. It would be insane to stay in my dead end job, passively letting life take its course. Imagine how bonkers it would make me to realize years later that I had missed my chance to shape my life into the life I wanted to lead.

The way I see it, crazy is a moot point. No matter how your life goes, you're going to be faced with some difficult choices and that only have quote-unquote crazy solutions. How safe, how small would a life be that only stuck to the sane, narrow, limited path? In my book, a sense of whimsy and adventure, a little zaniness, will only serve you well.

But wish me luck any way!