I used to be wild
Drunk on my own newly discovered sensuality--and on Drink
Lemon Drops, and Pink *****-Droppers, and *** on the Beach,
and any fruity (sickeningly) mixed (sweet) drink anyone would hand me--but "no coconut!"
Laughing at my friends who were settling down
"You're all getting married, I'm just getting more awesome!"
Feeling so supremely alive
Flaunting my youth and vibrance like an obscure merit badge earned in Girl Scouts
(who would never condone by behavior, by the by)
Thin paper-plastic wristbands with Sharpie dates scrawled on them, and a tagline my only reminder of the night's events
"St. Patty's day"
"Brothers' last night"
"Makeout contest"... yeesh
Whole evenings, and weeks are now a blur, fuzzy from the alcohol? or just the passage of time?
Passing a particular apartment "I think I've been there before, once" and I struggle to remember how that night unfolded
A smile alights my face as some of it comes back, but not all of it; "Did that also happen that night, or was that another time...?"

And then a shift, in power, in gaze
Higher status, higher responsibilities
Higher shoes, (less *****)
The nipping and yapping one another, wearing down a trench around me
A Mother hen mantle settles on my shoulders (at least it's feathered)
And a jaded lens clouds my vision, sadly
My words about others, though never heard, would burn
Arrogant, downright Cruel, for a while
sigh
1am, that's enough for tonight
I'm tired
My bones hurt
I open tomorrow
The feathers are soft, yes, and choking
I look around, "What am I doing here?"
Ten percent of the people here make it worth my while
the rest...
Glitter cuts and scrapes my eyeballs, and I will wear the last vestiges to work tomorrow, no matter how hard I try
To rid myself of the testament to my night life

I want to do more
To Dance more, not police more
To allow more to explore more, and not to judge more
Everyone is worthwhile, and has something to offer
No longer compelled to define myself by the things that I do, or shove my newly-acquired identity in someone's face as means of introduction
To root out the real things that make me feel alive
And truth be told
I want to garden
laughs
I've never wanted to garden before
Wine and cheese with close friends, an adventure-date with my beloved
I'm alive because I'm living
Not because I've been going shot-for-shot for two hours with my best friend
But it's time for the next move
Whether you call it getting old, or settling down, or just "settling"
I call it settling in
To a cozy life I love, filled with only the people and things I love
Anything less, that's "settling"

You will only ever live once. That means you should take risks. YOLO doesn't mean: "you only live once so let's go do something life threatening and stupid that will probably end our life! Hey look a cliff! Let's see who can hang off of it the longest without falling!" YOLO means: "i am never, ever going to be back in this moment at this second, this day, in this frame of mind, with the knowledge and experiences and emotions I have right now, so I'm going to take an emotional risk right now because it won't **** me, and my chance for a new experience is NOW."

What you could do, is go someplace public where you rarely go so that chances are you won't see the people who are there ever again, where you know people your age will be (example: starbucks or something) and find a girl who is sitting alone and who just looks like an interesting person. Not just pretty, but truly interesting. Sit down next to her or across from her and just literally say: Hi. wait until she looks up and makes eye contact with you. Be confident and friendly. You have done nothing wrong, there is nothing embarrassing or weird about basic human interaction. Just say something like: "You got a name?" when she answers, introduce yourself and shake her hand. (It is very charming when a guy actually shakes your hand, because it's unusual.) Start a small talk conversation. Be like: So what school do you go to? or if she happens to be doing something like sketching or writing or reading or listening to music, ask her what she's drawing/writing/reading/listening to. Showing an interest in what she's doing makes a big difference. Insist she let's you see it/listen to it. Ask her about it. Go further into the topic of whatever she's doing. Make sure you compliment her on whatever she's doing if it's something like drawing or whatever. Use her name when you speak to her because it adds a degree of personalness to the conversation. If she asks why you're talking to her, don't let it get awkward. Be very confident and comfortable with the fact that you came over to talk to her. Just tell her she looked like a really interesting person. If you want to mention that she's pretty too, that doesn't hurt, but make sure you mainly focus on something other than looks that drew you to her, because most girls want to be worth more (and be noticed for more) than just a pretty face. When you finish the conversation, just come right out and ask: So, you wanna give me your number?

If she has a boyfriend or something or if she just says no, then you just shrug it off, and tell her it was really cool meeting her, and leave on a pleasant note. Just walk away. the bright side being: you never have to see her again, so it doesn't matter.

(another idea could be if you were in line at a starbucks or something and you see an interesting looking girl in front of you, wait until she orders and (as long as she hasn't ordered the entire menu, after all, if it IS starbucks, then if she buys one drink and you pay for it, you're about seven thousand dollars in debt already. seriously, the prices there... yeesh) step up and say: "I'll cover it." To the cashier. Insist on paying then ask if she would mind if you joined her at her table for a couple minutes. It might sound cliché, but it almost never actually happen now, and it really is thoughtful. It's a very charming thing for a guy to do.)

anyway, those are just some ideas if you're looking for a girl to date. Start with her number, text her for like, a week and a half being flirty, then call her (call, don't text, it's so much more personal. but text her first to ask if you can call her for a moment.) and ask her out over the phone. :)

Her name is Amanda,
Like mine!
Though I prefer to go by Mandy.
Amanda Taylor, believe it or not,
You can't deny it. We're good friends.
Though you may not like full metal,
And though you can bore the heck out of me!
You will be my best friend.
I know, the inseparable friend I had in second grade,
Was really nice and oh so cool,
but she moved on.
Yeah, you may not be so popular,
But you're my best friend.
And nobody's going to change that.
For your dry humor,
Nice smiles,
And nerdy conversations,
Thank you.
For your independence,
Smart style,
And your loyalty to me.
You may be Maud Pie in real life,
But you're my clique,
My clique of twenty three.
Yeesh, I have a lot of friends!
Come join with me!
(Thank you for being my friend)
Mandy aka Pleasure.