There are days like today when I am glad I am small.
I have the sense that the world is moving quickly to a conclusion that does not work out well for anyone. There seem to be so many places where one small thing - one thing - need only go slightly wrong and I fear the world as we know it begins to ignite.
On days such as these it is a relief to be small and know the problems of the world are not mine to solve - or worry on.
Arguably it is a humble life - and probably will be for the rest of it, to be honest. In mapping out my Rule of Five for my life, I realized that I have mapped out everything I pretty much want to work on for the next 30 years that is realistic for me to do. Remarkably, most of them are doable right now, just where I live. We could stay here and I could still make most of them work.
Our needs, beyond living, are few. My wants are few as well - I have the "bigger ticket" item like I suppose most of us do, but mine are within the realm of reaching with a little economy and patience. Beyond those, there is not much to want - except more of the time to do them and less overhead to pay for.
In such days, to be big - to be noticeable - is to be responsible for things beyond one's control. It is to be higher up on the radar of others, to be one of the first to be focused on instead of one of the last.
Maybe tomorrow will ignite. I cannot fully know. But now I - for perhaps the first time, or at least certainly for the first time in a while - get that where I am right now makes my life both possible and attainable.
That is not a bad place to be.
PeteForester1 - My bad, I accidentally deleted this. Not intentional at all. Please see attached:
ReplyDeletePeteForester1 has left a new comment on your post "Being Glad To Be Small":
I went for an administrator position within my company, but was turned down. 21 years of military experience in my field, along with eight years with the company in that same field, were easily trumped by less than five years of experience and a degree. Was I pissed? 'Damned right, I was! A year or so down the line though, as I watched that greenhorn work nights and weekends, and deal with "on-call" duties, I was glad I didn't get that job. I'd worked enough nights and weekends and had stood enough duty to last the rest of my life. God knows what he's doing... Being "small" has its benefits, not the least of which are weekends off, and being able to take my cell phone off my person as soon as I get home at night.
Indeed, don't want to be rich; 'never did. I don't need a bigger house. I don't need a newer car. I wouldn't need more money either, if the state and the Fed would quit sucking it out of my pocket to subsidize the free-stuff crowd. I just want to hang onto what's mine; what I worked for in life. At this stage in the game, that's all I can pray for...
Pete, that is the realization I am coming to as well. I have pretty much reached the point in life where I really do not see the purpose of working extra hours on nights and weekends - yes, the occasional bit is okay, but not on a regular basis. The reality is that the effort is (at this point) taking away from the ever shrinking time I have available. And besides, the stress of what is going on at work is not really what I want to be dealing with in my off time...
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