The Psychedelic Reset Button

Just about everyone I've met has played Super Mario Brothers at least ONE time in their life.  Hell, even my Dad played it out of curiosity.  Once he immediately lost all three of the "lives" you are given at the start of the game he quickly dropped the control pad and went back to doing his crossword puzzle never to play video games again.  Assuming you've played the game, you know that its about a plumber named Mario who embarks on an epic journey through a magical kingdom of danger that tests how quickly you can jump over cliffs, avoid weird pissed of mushroom looking dicks, flying snapping turtles and destroy bricks all in the hopes of saving a Princess from the evil grip of King Koopa.  A psycho lizard monster that probably was pissed off the Princess would not go out with him so he kidnapped her.  Seems like a tall task for a plumber.

Fucked....

However, if you've played the game, you know that our hero had some help along the way in the form of a magical mushroom that would cause him to double his size and strength.  Without the aid of this wonder fungus the Princess would be left at the mercy of a real asshole.  Due to the fact that my parents limited me to only an hour of Nintendo a day, I was never able to defeat Koopa.  To this day I still don't know how my parents lived with the death of a Princess on their conscience.  But I digress...  I never thought much about said Magic Mushroom as a child.  If you've played old school video games before you know they are super unrealistic.."This Magic Mushroom is gonna pop out of a brick and make Mario super strong... fucking right!  I wish their was a mushroom like that in the real world!!"  Little did I know that in my later years, I would find out there was.

Obviously Mushrooms in the real world are not going to make you bigger and stronger.  You're thinking of spinach.  In fact, mushrooms.. or *shrooms* are much smaller and don't fucking move in the other direction and fall off a cliff when you try to eat them.  When you eat shrooms in the real world you best prepare yourself for at least 4 hours of staying in the same place while your mental and physical perception opens the fuck up and you see and experience things that you never thought were possible.  Its known around the world as "tripping"  or "Fucking tripping balls"  Why is it called a trip?  Because that's exactly what it feels like.  Some people have been known to have a "bad time."  Those are the people that set themselves up for failure.  They probably ate to much, did it indoors with a group of people they did not really know, or absolutely cannot stand the fact that they don't have 100% control over reality.   

The best way to have a fun time is put yourself in a surrounding you are 100% comfortable in.  I highly recommend doing it with at least one other person you know really well in an outdoor setting.  I've had the best times of my life from just sitting on the shore of my camp with my favorite band playing through the headphones.  When I'm tripping, I like to think of the world as a big movie, and I'm the director.  Your mind is constantly thinking of things you never imagined.  The sky, clouds and trees are all living and breathing to the beat of the music you're playing on your I-Pod.  The smallest simplest joke is the funniest joke you have ever heard in your life and you can't stop laughing.  The minor struggles of life become pointless and worry free. 

While the initial "peak" of the trip only lasts a couple hours, the long term effects can last for months at a time.  When the trip ends and you start to come down, you are a different person that has seen, learned and experience new things.  You've been to places you would not have gone to if you had just normally gone about the day.  You have new theories and belief's about life and death.  Some people have even experienced spiritual peace and enlightenment.  Its almost as if your life has been reset and you're ready to take on challenges with a brand new outlook.  I can honestly say that it has changed my life for the better.  I have done it on more than one occasion (never twice in the same year) and I can honestly say that I no longer worry about the little things that can sometimes have the potential to ruin someones day.  While its obviously not something that's for everyone, I highly recommend it for anyone that's curious about seeing what life can be like when everything has the potential to be 100% perfect and life is a whole new window of opportunity and possibilities.