Bad Idea Bears

From Avenue Q:

Bear 1: "Hey Princeton, what are you doing tonight?"
Princeton: "Probably just watching tv."
Bear 2: "You know what goes great with tv? Beer!"
Princeton: "I'm unemployed, I can't afford beer."
Bear 1: "You can afford a six-pack."
Princeton: "Well, maybe a six-pack."
Bear 2: "You know what's better than a six-pack? A whole case!"
Princeton: "A case of beers? No, I can't get a whole case."
Bear 1: "But you're on a budget! You're wasting money in the long run if you don't buy in bulk!"
Princeton: "Well I guess that makes sense."
Bears 1 and 2: "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!"

I was a Bad Idea Bear this weekend...

Never mind that my friend's sister was coming home from Iraq for the first time in five months.

Never mind that the last time she and I went out wine tasting together, she sat on the ground for 2 hours puking her guts out.

Never mind that we already had plans to go out drinking later that night.

I wanted to go wine tasting, and I wasn't taking no for an answer. So wine tasting we went. I sort of wish I could say something catastrophic happened, but no. Just a day of fun in the Virginia wine country, followed by a further night of drinking for someone's birthday.

But ever since this weekend, I've been thinking about being the bear. The power. The persuasion. It's fun to convince people to do things they're not sure they want to.

When I was unemployed for so long, I had people trying to convince me to get out of the house, take a chance, have some fun. More often than not, I shot them down.

Was it responsible? Perhaps... but was I miserable and depressed? Quite certainly.

So in 2008, I think I want to be a little less boring. I want to be a little more impulsive, and stop playing it safe. It is time for me to listen to my Bad Idea Bears, and to start being one for other people too. After all, what could go wrong?