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.