At present I write, but as yet it makes me little money. Is that a bone fide job? It is a question which, puzzled me when it came to giving answers on the forms. How accurate do you have to be, is someone going to say.....'come off it, you do not do that for a real job!'. Or, will no one care how much of a 'Walter Mitty' answer I give. There is no accompanying rule book with the forms, are the flight attendants supposed to know? Does anyone ever do anything with the filled forms?
Or, do they mean the sort of jobs, or careers we all do at some point in our lives, those we have to do to earn money, to make a living. Now, at last, after many long years of promising myself, 'one day......I will follow my dream. I do what I I love, and hope for an income eventually. Although for many years, I worked primarilly to make money. Not always at jobs I enjoyed, but one must work, yeah, for sure. Or, one will starve ha ha. Certainly not an aim I had in mind. Personally, as I bought up my children single handedly, I had little choice in the matter. I had no income from the government, as many do today, nor maintainance from their Father. I was obliged to find a job that paid enough money to live on, and fitted in with school holidays. So, a teacher I became. To me, it seemed the obvious choice.
It is said, that teachers are frustrated actors. That may be true, as certainly you are on a stage, before an audience. Although I never felt I was putting on a performance. I felt, we were working together, in order that they learnt, what I had to teach. In the process, I hoped to give them a thirst for knowledge, or at least, a love of books, and an ability to express themselves.
The other problem, with jobs, especially if you really do not like what you do. Is, what happened to a friend of mine recently, she got the sack, dismissed, laid off. Whatever you like to call it. She was honest in that she did not like the job, but stupid enough to tell it to those in charge. Of course, it was not clever, not smart, and definitely not playing the game. As an employee, you must play the game. You do not have equal rights to speak your mind, nor to decide what your itinerary is. There is an unspoken hierarchy, a pecking order. The trouble is, she pecked out of turn. Now she is left with no, business to go to at all. Virtually penniless, at Christmas. Poor girl, learnt the lesson the hard way.
No one likes to be a yes man, but if that is what is expected of you, then that is what you must do. Or, go off and do your own thing. Which, like it or not, she now has the opportunity to do. As do I, thank goodness. However, she is more likely to take another job, and this time play it smart. Keep her opinions to herself, and say'yes, sir. No sir, three bags full sir.
I suppose the incident took me back to my years of playing the game. Doing what was expected, whilst trying also to do what I thought best. Attempting to make my jobs bearable, enjoyable. It's a cat, and mouse game. Independent thought, and action not always being appreciated.
It made me think about what I do now, and how I love it. Also, how I should have done it years ago. Perhaps by now, the money would already be flowing.
Regardless, I was pleased I could, with honesty, put down 'writer', when asked 'what work do you do?' I don't really care what anyone else thinks about it.
I am a writer, I am a writer, I am a writer....and I don't care how often I must repeat it.
Success starts, with but one single step.
My assertion of my status, is that step.
What was, or will be, yours?
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