Pushing The Limits, September 22nd

We walk fast, we talk fast and we don’t stop to take handouts from those rapper kids hawking “free” music on the street. We don’t wait for green lights and the crosswalk is just a suggestion because anytime there’s a break in traffic it seems like an invitation for us to cross. You’ve heard rumors about us. You’ve seen us. We are. (Clap, Clap.) New Yorkers. And we are constantly pushing the limits, questioning authority and moving to the beat of our own drummers. Our pronouns are Yo! Hey! Dude. Guuurl. Dawg. And Fella.

I just saw a hilarious Street Easy campaign on the subway and the current slogan is “Never become a former New Yorker.” Pretty snappy for an online real estate search engine, eh? Talk about pushing the limits. “We said New York or nowhere, then we chose nowhere.” Hilarious. See below for the top three ads. I dare you not to giggle.

I remember being thiiiiis close to selling my palatial New York City apartment and moving south to escape the cold winters, the scary pandemic and crazy looting and crime. And then I came to my senses, calmed my panicky self down and realized that this is where I want to be, issues and all. And I pulled the unit off the market– smartest thing I’ve ever done. New York is not just my home, it’s part of who I am. New York or nowhere is a real thing.

But New Yorkers are not the only ones pushing the limits. Rules are being broken and old boundaries are moving. Even the scales of justice are being tipped. For instance, in what state in our great nation would there need to be a limit on the amount of ice cream a person can buy! WTF, people?? Where is this because I’m never visiting.

And then there’s the persistent rumor about Target. Have you heard it whispered quietly in the automotive department or discussed brazenly in children’s shoes? In addition to those uber popular in-house Starbucks outposts, Tarzhjay is thinking of upping their game by pushing into the adult bevvie market. Can you imagine? A Targeted happy hour? Ladies Night at Tarzhjay? Taco Tuesdays at the big T? OMG it would be bomb.

Then there are those of us who forget to eat (no, silly not moi), can’t make time to grab a sandwich, or ignore those hunger pangs way beyond the legal limit. It is so unsafe for me to engage in practices like this that can permanently alter my mood or endorphin balance. When hunger strikes, it is vital to listen to your body. Save yourselves and enjoy mealtime people because you don’t want to end up like Corinne Phillips below, godforbid.

Pushing the limits sometimes involves drama. Life is not an epic movie… however wouldn’t it be nice to not have to dress up and still make a dramatic gesture or reveal the master plan under cover of darkness? I can totally see myself doing this one day!

Then there are those of us that just push it no matter what the it is for the sake of seeing how far we can go. Whether it be making a flight by mere moments, loading the washing machine to the tippy top, speeding past a cop at five miles over the limit with a little wave, trying to make substitutions when none are permitted, asking for a refund although it goes against the policy, letting the fuel gauge get into the red and sputtering into the gas station on fumes, or demanding the return of something that was never yours to begin with, some people just enjoy waving those red flags.

At least some manage to have a sense of humor as they cruise just beyond the limit of what’s reasonable into the dangerous and commonly documented territory of pushing the limit. You have to give snaps to this guy who was at least creative about his matrimonial revenge!

To push the limit you first have to know the range of what’s acceptable and then decide what you’re willing to risk to breach that border. And if you’re a risk taker like me, I say game on… within limits of course.