I have never been one to define myself by my generation but the more time I spend just existing in each day the more I realize how profoundly different my perspective is on what this world owes me compared to the twenty-somethings of this new generation.
When I was in my twenties, and even now, I never for one moment thought the world owed me anything. It was up to me to put in the work to earn my place on this revolving planet and prove to everyone that I deserved my spot here. And I have continued my journey in that paragon of reality. But so many of the generation of today feel a sense of entitlement and hope to gain the greatest amount of accolades with the least amount of effort. They seem to expect everything for nothing.
The thought process plagues me and I spend countless hours wondering where this ideology began. Where did they acquire this sense of entitlement? How is it they can feel so exempt from basic human nature as to not strive for achievement and the resounding sense of accomplishment that follows without putting in the work? They have become a generation of people willing to rest on the laurels of others and take the credit for the blood, sweat and tears that they have not emitted. They live in the pampered dog world – not the dog eat dog – world and it makes me fear for their longevity in the authenticity of being a member of the human race.
A sense of attainment is based on hard work. You get back what you put forth. That dog eat dog world promotes the attitude of “survival of the fittest” and those who are deemed fit are those who actually compete. If you are sitting on the sidelines and simply relishing in the victory of the team without playing, you are winning by default.
There are some members of this younger generation who have made it out from under the blades of “helicopter parenting” and are becoming successful adults who are willing to work hard and take responsibility for their own success. But the vast number I have encountered rely heavily on others to do the work for them. A word to the not-so-wise, if your mom calls to get you a summer job your resume will find itself at the bottom of the pile.
To those particular slackers, I say – participate in the outcome of your own journey. You can only blame other people for so long for any supposed limitations before you are forced to subject yourself to a heaping dose of introspection. The only limit in your life is the amount of effort you are willing to put forth to strive for personal success. Life isn’t easy, but the satisfaction achieved when you are successful is well worth the energy exerted to create that success.
Hey twenty-somethings – reality is calling….it wants you to join us.
When I win the lottery (note the eternal optimism) I dream of having a food truck. Seeing this burger and New York Fries truck only placed that dream, once again, in the foreground of my reality. Our lodge was host to a collection of guests who were attending a wedding at the golf club next door to us and this was the midnight snack truck the bride and groom arranged for their wedding guests.
My food truck dream changes fairly often. I have thought about a soup truck with fresh-baked goods, since I love making both of those things, but after seeing this pimped out truck my idea morphed into a fine dining truck that would make the dining more of an experience in the truck rather than just picking your food up from the truck itself.
My brain kicked into high gear today and toyed with the idea of creating a fine dining restaurant on wheels, making the impossible night out possible by bringing the fine dining experience to you. With a mock backdrop of a starry night and some great jazz, you would be able to enjoy the experience of a real date night without leaving the confines of your property.
Food courses, from Amuse Bouche to dessert, would be paired with wine and the food would be presented in a way that would please the eye as well as the palette. I have been using myself as a guinea pig and, so far, the tests have been an overwhelming success. Last night’s meal was bacon wrapped Pork Tenderloin served with spinach, apple, Goat cheese, crushed Pistachios and a Balsamic Reduction and I am confident this dish would be a success. (It was delicious!)
I am still waiting for the lottery Gods to smile favorably upon my new career choice. Reservations are available but may take a few years to come to fruition based on how those lottery numbers match the numbers on my tickets. Until then, I will continue to sample future items to perfect the menu of my food truck and hope my culinary dreams turn into a reality. This truck, if all goes well, may be coming to a neighborhood near you!
Stealthily, they weave among the crowds, always maintaining their position slightly below the radar to avoid drawing attention to themselves. They seamlessly blend into their surroundings, appropriately smiling and nodding when they deem a response is necessary, but never actively participate in the live conversation swirling around them. They are the oblivious – they are the relatively small number of people who just – don’t – get it.
By any standards, they would most likely maintain a moderate intelligence quotient, function well at a full-time job and perhaps even procreate to pass the torch of their DNA on to the latest members of the human gene pool. However, in what may well be a fleeting moment of idiocy, they lose their grasp on true logic.
There are websites dedicated to this phenomenon and the stories are, not only hilarious but, astounding. One of my true favorites, which may be a complete fallacy, or not, is a group of friends walking along a beach when one friend cries out “look at that dead bird” and his friend looks up in the sky and says, “where?”. They do walk among us.
This post was not inspired by the nameless, faceless many who have undoubtedly experienced this factual anomaly, but by a phone call to a radio station in Fargo, ND that I had long since forgotten, until now. If this whole call was fabricated, congratulations to the people who thought up this gem. If was an actual call (and apparently it was authenticated as an actual call) this woman truly believes she has the answer to a safety issue for drivers. Please be advised Fargo, ND – she walks among you. (although her name may have been changed to protect the idiot)
After being ignored by local television stations and newspapers, a woman took her cause to her local radio station. In a very decisive and articulate argument, she was very concerned and somewhat shocked that the government transportation agencies would choose such heavily trafficked areas to post the standard issue deer crossing signs. She firmly believes that, after obtaining their passing grades from primary school, the deer would have the wherewithal to comprehend the meaning of the sign and change their crossing patterns to coincide with the location of said signs.
In a moment in which she seems irretrievably misguided, and there were several, she had not only convinced herself but tried to convince the world at large that the deer would heed the wishes of the transportation agency and only cross at the location of the signs. Since she has been involved in three vehicular incidents with these highly educated creatures, her argument to move the deer crossing signs closer to a school zone frightens me immensely. How many children will she hit before the government has to relocate the school children crossing signs to a near-by freeway?
Please listen to the following and weigh in…..do you think this call is real and, if so, has she changed her name and moved to a state where the deer are just as clueless as she is?
I don’t often stand and look in the mirror for great lengths of time. Since I cut my hair short and I don’t wear much make-up there is really no need to linger at my reflection. But this morning I did. I made the usual faces one makes while looking at themselves and I really studied my face, each crease, each unique spot that has gradually appeared on my skin over the years.
I followed the lines of wrinkles starting to appear around my eyes and, although those fissures are permanent lines in what was once smooth skin, those lines created a map of places I had been in my life. They are carved from life experiences that made me the person I am today. Each of those lines tells a story and remembering some of those stories caused me to smile which only pronounced those lines even more.
I like to think I earned each and every one of those laugh lines because I took the time to truly enjoy the good moments I’ve had. The small lines on my furrowed brow help remind me of the difficult and sad times, but times I undoubtedly learned a lesson or a coping skill. Those wrinkles belong to me. I choose to own them because I know the emotions they embody. They are imprinted in my psyche as much as they are etched on my skin.
My wrinkles are my map. They have led me from my past and, with the myriad of directions I may follow, they will help guide me into my future.
I’ve watched them from birth to now. I’ve seen them take a few of their halted first steps and utter the beginning of many words to come. I did not birth them, but I love them just as much as if I had.
The time has gone by so quickly and my nephews are now 15 and 12. They are unique characters and very different from each other which makes them all the more fascinating to a person who does not see them every day. I get fragmented pieces of time to create memories and I have realized that time is quickly running out before they fly from their nest.
I had a date with my 12-year old nephew tonight. It was more like an expeditious speed-date but it was an hour that I got to spend with just him. We laughed, we talked in funny accents and we allowed ourselves the freedom to just be silly and enjoy each others company. He and I are very similar creatures and it was nice for both of us to recognize that bond. He reads as voraciously as I did as a child and shares my animosity towards running.
My 15-year old nephew is the opposite. He most likely thinks he will burst into flames if he had to read a novel. His hours of leisure, and work, are spent at a golf course. He lives and breathes golf. He has found his passion and it is something at which he excels. He and I have yet to have our date but I will be asking him soon and I am hoping to make these dates a recurring event before I blink and they are both in their twenties.
I want these moments. I want to create this stronger bond before they have gone off to college and the miles are stretched between us. I selfishly crave those snippets of time where I see signs of them becoming the men they will continue to be throughout their lives. I want them to know how proud I am of the strengths they possess and encourage them to never let anyone try to change their ideals.
I absolutely love what I do for a living but the long hours and the physical demands of the job can take a toll on the state of my well-being. I have just organized and worked a wedding and dynamic conference back-to-back. If you asked me to spell my name right now I would have difficulty providing that information with any sort of accuracy but the reward I have reaped far outweighs the strenuousness I have endured.
At the end of my arduous days, I feel content in the fact that I have given 110% to, not only give great service to each of these functions but, help create a memory for each of my guests.
Where I feel I should lose energy in the many hours I work, I gain strength from the energy of those around me. This strength does not come from knowing what I am capable of. This strength comes from my perseverance to give my best effort and make sure I represent all of myself and not just part of myself, not only in work but in every aspect of my life.
That is the beauty of my exhaustion. I can sit back and relax knowing that I have given everything I have. I can take solace in the fact that I do my job well. And I can absolutely appreciate when I receive praise for my efforts because I truly feel like I have earned it.
Although my weariness does come at a price, the satisfaction I get from knowing that my efforts positively affected so many others makes that extreme fatigue all that much more bearable and makes me want to do it all over again.
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