The End of an Era

I realized today, walking to work, that never again am I really going to have a choice over whether or not to show up. Sure,you might say, no one is forcing you to work, though I'd have to disagree. My apartment owner, Time Warner Cable and Con Edison may not be literally behind me every morning dragging me to work but they certainly expect me to go so I can immediately turn over the money to them. That's the way it goes. And thus I am a part of hte adult world.

it's amazing, when you think about it, that people continue to work. I have to wonder if the human population was really designed to do this. What if there were no bills, if people simply performed jobs because they enjoyed them? Or if they didn't perform jobs for the same reason? I wonder, just maybe if that would work. There is the all too logical response of who would carry out the garbage, but I bet our prisoners could be forced into that one as part of their imprisonment.

What would I do if I had all that time? Maybe volunteer for a non-profit agency, definitely write, and try to figure out how to manage my life in a way that is beneifical to those around me. Sure I'm not perfect, but I'm certainly not incapable of handling certain aspects of who I am and what I can do to contribute. Isn't that what it comes down to? Who can contribute? Many of the great scientists in the world kept their theories shut up in drawers for years and years before finally releasing them to the public. Artists who weren't famous at all until after their deaths. People who use their money to support the arts or after school programs or help out with their churches.

I like the idea of the freedom of choice. I like the thought that I could control my own schedule and make each day different. one day i could be painting a playground, the next day lounging around someone's pool. I hoie that at some point I could have the chance to do that. Some people are born into independent money and while I"m not one of them, I'm sure that something good could come of it. Something good could come of everyone if they would just consider what they really want to do with themselves and their time

There was a special Dr. Phil on last week honoring people who made a difference in the lives of children. What was great about it was that these people were ll incredibly selfless. A woman in her thirties who had housed over 50 foster children, including many with disabilities. A man who had begun the Urban Music Program because he felt too many school swere cutting out music and making it difficult for those kids to have a shot at doings oemthing they wanted to do that had nothing to do with "No Child Left Behind". It frightens me that any president would implement a program so focused on narrow subjects that smart children were pushed outside the box and slow children wouldn't stand a chance. Everyone knows the program will ultimately fail or leave an overweight generation with no idea who Billie Holiday is.

I hope that some answers will start coming to me soon. I hope that I'll be able to take a good look at myself and see what I can become just by being that person, just by taking hte opportunity to leap.