Is picking a word for the year so last year?!
Maybe.
Even so, I've joked with friends that my word for 2015 is mofo, which may not be a word at all, really.
That aside, I'm trying to make "you do you" (or, more accurately, the sentiment behind it) my phrase for the year. The first time I saw it in print, I was clueless as to its meaning, unable to figure out where the accents go. YOU do you. you DO you. you do YOU. The person who said it to me (on Facebook, so that's not really saying, I guess) was a 40-something like myself. How could she be in the know about this cool new phrase and I be left behind much like I was when I heard "chump change" for the first time or discovered Blondie didn't invent rap music?!
Daughters. That's the only answer I could come up with. My sons knew the phrase, but they'd never in a million years use it. Especially now, because it is SO last year, I'm sure.
As it turns out, such a phrase is steeped in history, much like the evolution of rap music. I'm making all this up, of course, but I think the oldest phrase with the same meaning might have been "mind your own beeswax," which was the cool way of saying "mind your own business," which has now become simply "MYOB," not to be confused with "BYOB."
And in my household, a similar phrase used quite often is "you're just holding the tail." (I refuse to complete that thought, as it's for mature audiences only. But maybe you're familiar with it?)
See? Lots of ways of saying the same thing: you do it your way, I'll do it mine.
I am, by nature, a micromanager. I love to offer suggestions on the best route to take, the places you should visit in cities I love, the bands you should listen to, movies you should see... It's hard for me to MYOB. I don't mean to try to micromanage your life, I just want to share what I know. Because my way works for me, and therefore it should work for you too.
At the same time, I HATE to be micromanaged. Last week, I was MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, eating some apple crisp and reading the paper. My husband sat down at the table with me. After taking a bite of MY apple crisp, he told me how much better it would be if I'd warmed it before eating it. Then he was all "why isn't it topped with whipped cream?" Really? I wanted to punch him in the face, or at least show him my favorite finger. I actually may have shown him my favorite finger, now that I think about it. BUT, had that happened today, January 1, 2015, I would've smiled up at him and said simply, "You do you, baby."
See? It's working already.
Because new year.
Happy, happy, mofo!
