Vitamin Water

This is the year I found God.  This is the year I began forgiving everyone for everything.  This is the year I stopped casting judgments.  With that said, I always knew Vitamin Water was just as good for me as an ice cold Coca-Cola.  In other words, it's pop (a quick glance at the nutritional information printed ON THE BOTTLE told me how many calories was in a serving).  Apparently, The World (aka John Q. Public) just found out this week that Vitamin Water is "not healthy."

I have to be honest, this makes me want to drink Vitamin Water.  Why?  Because before it was pretentious to walk around holding a bottle of something called "Vitamin Water."  Now it's fucking bad ass.  Because now we KNOW it's bad for me.  People will see me walking down the street holding a bottle of Vitamin Water and say, "Whoa, is that guy crazy?  Doesn't he know that the TV said last week that Vitamin Water is bad for us?"

If you see me drinking Vitamin Water I will not be ashamed.  Would you judge me for drinking it?  Would you make assumptions based on my beverage choice?  Would you think less of me?

I forgive you if you thought Vitamin Water was a healthy beverage.  I forgive you if you if you say soda instead of pop.  I forgive you if you don't understand why The Beatles were the best rock and roll band ever to make music.  I forgive you if you've never read Kerouac, or Ginsberg, or Burroughs.  And I forgive you if you've never been a thousand miles from home with only a pen and a notebook to keep you from going insane.  I also forgive the overweight woman who squishes me up against the glass on the metro train.

None of our journeys are the same.  It's 2010 and I found God.  (Or God found me...)  And I realized that I spent way too much time making assumptions about people based on very little information.  We're all different flavors of Vitamin Water.  And none of us can claim to be pure or perfect or good for anyone.  If I had a nutritional facts label stuck on my belly you'd find that parts of me might be bad for you.  Drinking me might cost you.  But guess what - I taste great and I'll never lie to you.

To be honest, I'd be disappointed if there weren't parts of you that was bad for me.  Life ain't sterile.  Safe is boring. People have quirks and curiosities and strange baggage that makes them flawed and human and lovely.  God is showing me the Lovely.  In everyone and everything.  Let's spend more time searching for the Lovely and less time trying to be lovely.

Safe is boring and EVERYONE is lovely.  I forgive you if you think otherwise.