You got married in a car? A stripper with an octopus tattoo? Who are these people?
I met two people who reminded me of life's greatest lesson while drinking warm Jager bombs and talking about stripper tattoos.
No, I don’t have any tattoos.
Fuck it, I’ll get a tattoo.
I went to a friend’s house last Friday night for a cookout. I hate cookouts. His kids were in town. Well, one of them is his kid. The other is his kid’s new wife.
They got married in the back of a Kia Soul. I’ll get to that in a second.
When I arrived she was drinking a Dr. Pepper and Jack Daniels with no ice. She is a little thing with blond hair and a massive smile. He is 6’2” and lanky with red hair and big hands. His drink of choice was a Michelob Ultra which seemed odd for a big ass redneck.
They are both Marines. She fixes helicopters and he, well, fixes helicopters. Recently they bought a tattoo gun off Amazon. She is practicing on his upper thighs.
My friend cooked steaks on a small grill as I chatted with the kids. They told me about a stripper with an octopus tattoo on her ass and then showed me a video of their marriage in the back of the Kia Soul.
She is 20. He is 21.
Watching them full of life and happiness reminded me of a very important lesson. Three words that I have to beat into my head on a daily basis so I don’t go insane. I’ll get to that shortly.
“How did you guys meet,” I asked sipping on red wine like an old man.
“We were stationed together in Hawaii,” he said. “She told me she was gay.”
“Oh?” I looked at her.
“There are so many guys in the Marines I had to tell them I was gay so they would leave me alone,” she laughed with that amazing big ass smile.
“So you married a gay helicopter mechanic in the back of a Kia Soul,” I asked him.
“Yup!” he smiled.
She is learning how to ride dirt bikes. He is starting his own welding business. They have two dogs. Life is good.
Now here is the thing, they were wildly happy. Maybe it was the Jack Daniels or the electric vape the size of a shoe box they kept smoking. Or, maybe, they are living one of life’s most important lessons.
Keep it simple.
Now, will these two stay married forever? Of course not. Nobody does. However, they are having the time of their lives right now soaking up every single second and not worried about fancy weddings, the daunting future, or murdering their lungs with that massive vape box.
Woo woo books preach about living in the present.
They are.
Keep it simple.
When life gets complicated or I get overwhelmed, I have to remind myself to keep it simple. Simplicity solves everything.
That and an octopus tattoo on a hot girl’s ass, I guess.
Trey
TREY’S THREE THINGS
THINK - Something that made me think this week.
GET - How to spend money you don’t have.
GO - Travel is the only therapy that works.
THINK
I have been watching interviews with Sam Parr who founded The Hustle, a newsletter with millions of subscribers, trying to gain some insight to improve my newsletter. When asked about habits that helped him the most he mentioned two interesting things:
Cold email everybody.
Write (copy) books and articles from authors who are really good writers to learn how to be a better writer.
He has started many successful businesses and claims every one of them started because he cold emailed somebody. He also said that for one year he spent an hour a day copying books (Hunter S. Thompson and Hemingway) and popular copywriting ads to learn how to be a better writer. He would literally write them out. I think that is genius. Here is a good interview with him.
GET
Mixmax for Gmail. It is some calendar and productivity software integration for Gmail. Ever heard of Gmail? It is electronic mail. I use the email template feature and scheduling feature that allows people to pick a time to chat with me. I am a wizard.
GO
To Crystal River in Florida. Since the current temperature is hovering around 150 degrees you might as well swim with Manatees in super clear spring water. People will like you more when you post the Instagram photos from your trip.
Crystal River is the only place in Florida where it’s legal to swim with manatees in their natural habitat. Located in Citrus County, the area gets busy and draws crowds because of the high number of manatees found in Kings Bay.