All Systems Go

It Worked For NASA

I was hoping it was going to work for me

The day is over

The night is still young

If it was Friday and I was a lot younger

Thirty -five years in the past

Local night clubs were the place to go after 8 P.M.

Where all the twenty-one year olds would drink and dance the night away

I tried the club scene

It wasn't for me

So I through myself into work

I worked not one job

Not two jobs

But three jobs

One fulltime job and two parttime jobs

Made me a better worker

Building character and appreciating the value of a dollar

When your working so much

You find out you spend little

That is more savings in your pocket

You don't have lots of free time

So your not going out to eat a lot either

Your money keeps growing in your savings

Slowly it builds over time

You cherish a half-hour of free time

When work gets slow and people get bored

You are overjoyed

Working less as hard and getting paid the same

Each job becomes a game of cat and mouse

You are trying to earn the most

At the same time giving your best

It takes skill and endurance

Not an easy task

I had plans for my future

That were far ahead of my time

The years rolled on by

After about thirteen years

I finally had enough

I didn't become finacially wealthy

My dreams were bigger than my physical ability

To turn my thoughts into my new reality

I worked hard

Real hard

Harder than anyone else my age

I sacrificed years of my youth

For a chance for finacial freedom

I gave up on my social life

I tried to be at many places whenever I could

There was no way around it

Sometimes I had to miss family time and get-togethers

Every holiday became a busier workday

Weekends didn't exsist

When I was off one job I worked another

I lived to work instead of working to live better

At this time

I met someone very special

Three years later we were married

Then I began to spend more time with my wife

Putting my old dreams on a shelf

Dusting them off every once and awhile

I talk about them and wonder

I gave it my best shot

Things didn't work out as I planned or dreamed

Then again I met the woman

Who understood how hard I had worked

She couldn't change the past

She had a different view on life

Money and success wasn't in her top ten

Love and passion where number one

Signing papers to buy a home out of state

Family and a home we could both afford

With two savings joined together

We could also accomplish some good things

In a half the time

She made sure we enjoyed our days off and vacations

It is funny how our life changes

In a direction we could never see

Now I spend my free time writing

A passion I always have had

Fulfilling a different need

Like eating a chocolate eclair

First you have the desire

Then you find one that looks delicious

You have to sit down to eat

You can't have them every day

They are good for a treat

Comments

DREAM ON (author) on October 08, 2019:

Gypsy Rose Lee There is no one right way. We have to keep throwing those irons in the fire and one will work. Practice makes us better. Are there other jobs you might consider? You can still write at the same time. This will take the pressure of writing. Then your writings will flow in the direction they were always meant to be. Thank you for sharing and caring. It would be great to text or talk soon.

Gypsy Rose Lee from Daytona Beach, Florida on October 07, 2019:

It always helps when I attack my writing with full spirt and devotion but I so badly need to make contacts and find some really great paying writing job and that appears is not an easy task at all,

DREAM ON (author) on October 03, 2019:

Brenda Arledge I never wanted to give up on my dream of success. What I thought when I was young was working hard, paying my dues, then in the end, it would all work out. I started a food shopping service I called Shop For U for the elderly. Where I would go to their home, take their food order, then go to the food store of their choice and bring back the goods. I didn't charge a lot. I filled a need that no one had done at that time. Homemakers would shop for their clients and get paid by the company. Elderly would take cab rides to and from the store to get the food they needed. Some people had their family or friends shop when they couldn't. Cell phones weren't even around. I use to use a beeper. My prices were reasonable and when I came back with the groceries I would accept payment and charge a minimal fee. It worked for me. Extra cash and I made people happy. It wasn't till later PeaPod was created. Stop and Shop used their service. The rest is history. I believed it was my ticket to wealth. At the same time, I couldn't give up my full-time job working at a local seafood restaurant. Where I had health benefits and guaranteed pay. I also worked as a homemaker to see if later they could use my service. I made many people happy and can take credit for being the first. Now there are so many services available online that can provide the same service at a higher price. I am in my fifties now. I don't have the energy or the time to race around and work two jobs. My family is so important. My wife and I have no children and work later in the day. So we spend at least three hours on the road a day driving. We are blessed to spend that time together. Then when we are home we also enjoy each other's company. I now have time to reflect and dream new dreams. We both also spend time with our cat Charlotte. All my aunts have passed away except one on my father's side is still alive and well and in her 90's. My wife only has one aunt left too. All my uncles have passed. We both spend time with my nieces and nephews and keep in touch with our cousins. Both our parents on either side are gone. Now it is nice to watch both families grow and I get to see our second cousins be born. Life is funny in many ways. When you have something you don't know how good it is until it's gone. I have many memories of all my aunts and uncles. They were all wonderful people. They too worked hard just to provide for their own families. I wanted to be the first entrepreneur who made a difference. To help everyone out. Giving us all more time to do what we love. Instead of working our life away. Thank you for listening to the short version of my life story. To see the full uncut version you will have to wait till the movie comes out. (lol) Maybe I will make it as a poet. I don't have any poets in my family. I can be another first. It is so nice to be able to share with so many wonderful people. Life is really amazing. I hope you have a great day. You have made mine beautiful in so many different ways.

BRENDA ARLEDGE from Washington Court House on October 02, 2019:

Wonderful stoty of hard work and devotion which you assumed did not pay off...but in reality it has paid off for you in the end.

Keep writing. Enjoy your life as a family.