Little Boxes

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,

Little boxes, little boxes,

Little boxes, all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses

All go to the university,

And they all get put in boxes,

Little boxes, all the same.

And there's doctors and there's lawyers

And business executives,

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf-course,

And drink their Martini dry,

And they all have pretty children,

And the children go to school.

And the children go to summer camp

And then to the university,

And they all get put in boxes

And they all come out the same.

And the boys go into business,

And marry, and raise a family,

And they all get put in boxes,

Little boxes, all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one

And a blue one and a yellow one

And they're all made out of ticky-tacky

And they all look just the same.

~Malvina Reynolds

Gotta say - that really describes slash defines the patheticness that is the United States.  We're all conformist.  For crying out loud, I'm a conformist and have fought against it my entire life.  I hate doing things the same way as everyone else.  But check this out:  I graduated high school, went to college and got a "sellable" degree, and now have a "real" job.  All made possible (translation: forced upon me) by my parents.

These lyrics are to the theme song of one of my favorite sitcoms -  "Weeds."  Long story super short - it's about a pot dealing mom.  So she hugely broke the mold by living in an upscale suburb and starting a grow-house and large pot-buying customer base (including Snoop Dogg).  

I've blogged about this before.  I hate the fact that I have nothing to show for myself (though people are always saying I have plenty to show for myself).  This lifestyle was forced upon me, but I think I need to speak out more like Malvina.  If I'm ever cursed with children, they won't just follow the footsteps laid out for them.  I'm not even gonna lay out footsteps for 'em.

So - my point is this - I need to figure out how to be what I've always wanted to be in order to fully be satisfied with my life.  I need to get out of my little ticky-tacky box.