2025 08 15

I can do some donuts, but should I mow the lawn? Dodgeville, Wisconsin. April, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

Can vs Should

I think one of the big secrets of life is finding the balance between what can you do and what should you do. Maybe this is an obvious observation, but my sense tells me that far too many of us exist quite firmly within one mindset or the other.

On my commute to work today, I waited to cross a busy street downtown while two fellow humans waited alongside me. Well before the walk sign told us it was okay to continue onward, one of the fellow humans took off, wildly swaying his arms as if conducting a symphony none of us could hear. The other fellow human decided this behavior was unacceptable and shouted at him in a scolding manner. Faced with two differing perspectives of the situation in front of me, my immediate response was to side with the guy now half way across the street, enjoying his morning and getting to his destination faster than us, while simultaneously acknowledging the rule-follower that I, too, noticed the weird scenario playing out in front of us. We bonded and I let him be acknowledged, but inside I knew the other guy had things figured out.

This is not to say that I’m some kind of special person capable of playing both sides of the field. This is not to say that I’m standing on flimsy morals, incapable of choosing a side and standing firm. Instead, I would argue that it’s good practice to live a bit in both worlds. To be the human who can appreciate wacky behavior while understanding the rent still comes due at the end of the month. 

Can I: fuck around, make noise, drink and eat, slack off, do dumb shit, play, experiment, go for broke

Should I: make nice, be polite, do what I’m told, be responsible, save up and plan ahead, pay my taxes

Why not do both? Perhaps I’m half-assing my way through life, but this is my method. When I’m spending a bit too much time coloring within the lines, I then need to remember to paint a suit with grass.

“There’s a fine line between being a kook and being an artist, and I definitely trample it as much as I can.”
(via Meaghan Garvey’s SCARY COOL SAD GOODBYE 78)

-Clayton