“Little ditty bout Jack and Diane…” In the infancy of MTV, I heard this song more times than I could count. Most of it flew over my very young head. I’d never seen a Tastee Freez before and wouldn’t know what it was for years. Being from New Jersey, the idea of a debutant was far out of my geography and understanding. But the one line that I heard loud and clear was “Life goes on, long after the thrill of livin’ is gone.” At the time, I understood what was being said but as a young person, the thrills of life were all over the place. Even when we claimed to be bored, we weren’t far from possibility.
Now, I think that I’m in that portion of life that Mr. Mellencamp was talking about. Life continues on! However, I’m having trouble swallowing the idea that the thrill of livin’ is gone. So many of the pre-scripted things have passed but I’m not buying the thrill part. That’s a matter of perspective and I think a young version of John Mellencamp may have gotten it at least partially wrong.
The thrill of life does not need to be reduced to that rollercoaster feeling that one gets in youth. The high anxiety that comes with so many firsts in life may be thrilling but it doesn’t need to subside with experience. Our emotional lives are not dictated by the chance of experience but rather the choice of our perception. The thrill of living can be found or created in a moment. It matters less about the age of the perceiver and more about their willingness to be thrilled. To find the beauty in the commonplace. The monumental in the mundane. And the perfection in the imperfect.
No doubt! Life goes on! But whether or not the thrill continues to be present or not is not dictated by chance. It’s a choice. Life is going to continue until it doesn’t. What we do with it is largely up to us and the thrill can be brought back at any time.
“Changes come around real soon!”
Pete
Huryk Unlimited 
This makes sense… Perception is the key… 👍😅👍
And Life does go on no matter what… It’s a series of experience s… even after physical demise…☺️