The Fabulous Straight-Edge Life

Over the last month I’ve mentioned CM Punk and his straight-edge lifestyle quite a bit. I’ve also gone into my own “straight-edgeness” (if you will) and related it to that of Punk and his ongoing storyline with Chris Jericho.

Don’t worry: this one won’t focus on wrestling much, if at all.

I think everyone pretty much knows what a straight-edge lifestyle is, so I won’t waste space on that. I, however, am “straight-edge on steroids” (I know the term is somewhat of an oxymoron, but I liked the alliteration). There are other things that I refrain from that fall outside the realm of straight-edge.

In a nutshell, this entry will provide a somewhat-detailed look into who I am and the decisions that I make in life. I may do more stuff like this in a subsequent entry (already have an idea…make that two), but for now I’ll stick with this….well, I’ll start this. But first, a disclaimer.

I’m not saying that I’m right and/or that anyone else is wrong. I’m just saying that certain things work for me and certain things don’t. Now, let’s begin.

1. Drinking

I’ve covered this at length in various entries, so this will be rather short. The one thing I will say (and I may have said this before) is that I don’t think I would drink even if not for past experiences I’ve mentioned. It just never really appealed to me.

Alcohol makes clubs live and it drives sporting events, so it obviously has positive effects on my social/entertainment life even though I don’t partake. Of course friends asked me to try it (some more assertively than others), but I never have and I think at my ripe age it’s safe to say I never will.

2. Smoking

I’m sorry, but this is just a nasty habit to me because of the smell factor. I’ve found that smokers often have terrible breath: something that’s rather obvious considering that I’m only around smokers in public settings. Depending on how often they smoke, the radius surrounding them may smell like smoke too…and that “smoking outside and coming back in right after” thing does not work. It takes about 15 minutes for the smell to go away.

I kissed a girl who smoked once and knew right then that wasn’t going to be a common occurrence. As far as me? Just too messy of a habit, not to mention the idea of sticking something into my mouth and breathing out harmful substances and simultaneously ruining my lungs isn’t all that appealing.

3. Doing Drugs

Um, why? I don’t mind getting stuck, but that’s when I’m giving blood. Other than that, keep the needles away. Maybe I listened to the DARE commercials too much or was too into the program, but I’ve never seen where drugs have done anyone a lot of good. Sniffing something? Through my nose? Uh, no. I’m already skinny: I have no further desire to resemble Pookie from New Jack City.

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Now that ends the straight-edge portion of our program. Everything past this point is the “on steroids” stuff. People who are straight-edge do these things, but I don’t so these very much (not at all in most cases). Let’s continue.

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4. Decorating Oneself

I figure that’s a decent catch-all term. I’ve never been one to get into piercings or tattoos. I guess I grew up before piercings became “okay” for men, and that my time frame has much to do with that one. I’ve wondered how I’d look with one, but not seriously enough to actually consider it. As far as tattoos, nah…removal costs too much, and I don’t like doing things like that if they can’t easily be undone. I also see people in their 50s and 60s with ink and…no. On top of all that, I like me the way I am.

5. Cussing

Now this one I admit I fall short of...it very seldom happens, but it does. I will say it just about never happens in public. I gradually got out of it starting in high school. You know how you first learn a lot of stuff in middle school, so you’re saying stuff all the time around your friends because that’s just how y’all talk? Yeah, pretty much my story.

I remember once I stopped on Sundays and one of my friends asked me about the rest of the week. Also in high school, I remember a girl saying that it showed a lack of vocabulary. Neither one of these shaped my road in any way (and I disagree with her: only reason I remember her saying it is because she looked that good), but I do remember them. Not sure what that says.

Once I got deep into my undergrad career I really slowed down and only did it when reciting rap song lyrics. That pattern pretty much continued until I got out of undergrad and just started leaving those words out…which is where I find myself now.

I think I’ve done it once in the last 12.5 years around a woman (I find it ungentlemanly to do so). I certainly will never print one: I’ll leave them in tweets from others, but one can clearly tell those situations. At any rate, I’m pretty much out of that game.

I’ll say something else: if something drives me to that point, then I figure it probably needs to go too. That’s been an unintended benefit of not cussing: it tells me what my stressors are.

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Does that stuff above make me perfect? Absolutely not. Matter of fact, the next entry will likely be a list of my imperfections. I’ll put this out there now: most (if not all) of them are things I have no desire to change. I would rather be me than be perfect, and that’s a theme that I hope remained apparent throughout this piece. I’m not holier than thou, I don’t walk on water. I just know what works for me.

That said, I know myself well enough to know that what works for me also has to work for any prospective significant other. The last two I can live with (although #5 would have to be in moderation), but the first three are deal-breakers. I’m comfortable enough with myself to say that. I know what I want and have no desire to compromise.

If someone doesn’t fit that - and no one I know does - that doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. I know absolutely wonderful people with whom a relationship simply would not work. I obviously have no right to change anyone. Women have tried to change for me and it hasn’t worked. I’ve tried to change women and it hasn’t worked. At the same time, no one has the right to try to change what I want. Women have tried to change that and it hasn’t worked. I made an allowance and it went okay, but I’m not as conciliatory now as I once was.

“Enjoy being alone”…I will. I do now. Besides, I would much rather live this life than live one in which both a prospective partner and I would be miserable trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Wouldn’t be fair to her, wouldn’t be fair to me.

I’m happy with my straight-edge life. The only things it’s possibly (or could ever) cost me are things I probably wasn’t meant to have anyway.