Friday, June 20, 2008

Being thankful...

Hello faithful few. Its that time again! I know what you are thinking, WOOHOO, YEAH! This week I want to talk or maybe I should say try to give some enlightening words.


I had a discussion with a friend of mine about working and jobs. She went with the old diatribe, "you should be lucky to have a job...some people wish for a good job...some people don't have a job." I mean saying that is fine and dandy but I believe that we as people get to accustomed to sitting back and not taking a proactive notion to better ourselves. Granted I know that times are hard, but we have to get out of this mindset of being thankful to a point where we use that as a jumpoff point in making statements like at least I have a job. Its nice to be thankful and/or grateful but somewhere along the line you have to thin..."OK, now I have this job and while it is a job and might not be an ideal job...how can I get to the next stage of my life." It just amazes me how people get to a point that they are thankful for having a job and that's it. Its terminal, "I am in this position and I am going to be happy and content, because its hard out here and some people don't have jobs." That is a great thought and sentiment to have but in the long run you have to let that sentiment fade. I am not saying be thoughtless and lack moral compassion for your brethren and sister but strive for more. Instead talking about being thankful for having your job be thankful for having the where-with-all to take that step to have a job. I myself am nowhere near being in my ideal job. I have been told on many occasions that I should be thankful for having a job. Again don't get me wrong I am thankful but to a certain extent. I think or should I say I feel we get to thankful for having a job we get content. And contentment to me is away that keeps us locked down in this holding pattern and we find it hard to move forward.

I have been accused outright and sort of on the sly of acting like I am better that others when I make statements like this. I mean just coming from where I have been and am coming from, I would never have a value like that instilled in my psyche. I have always said to myself every step is only the first step to the next step. I having grown up in the inner city and gone through an education system that was not really geared to preparing one for the real world...having gone through high school and not graduating and having to go and get my GED to go to college...having starting out in community college and then getting into a private art school in DC where the enrollment was not large...having then graduating from college and then getting into a program at one of the best schools in college(even though I did not go for financial reasons- but that's neither here or there)...I know about being thankful...but I don't wear it on my sleeve because I wear it on my heart. I continue to be thankful by being relentless and not succumbing to wishes that I wait for instead of going after. I continue to be thankful by showing the people around me and the people who enter into my life that I am determined to always put forth great effort to better myself.

I mean its nice to be thankful don't get me wrong and I am thankful; just not to the extent where anything I try to do or any feeling that I may have is affected to a point where, I leave myself open to say..."So what if I didn't get the big job this at least I have a job." I like to feel that me having the job that I have is like I said before a step to which I find it somewhat of a disappointment if I don't get that big job. Well that's all I have for you folks this week. I hope you enjoyed reading this. Maybe I enlightened you a little...maybe I pissed you off alot...Either way I hope I touched you a little.

Until sometime next week, namaste and stay strong...




1 comment:

Sheeta Boo said...

OK Hands down this is my absolute favorite. Long story short. Don't use thankfulness as a cop out not to strive to do better or pursue your dreams and personal fulfillment.

I love it. Absolute fave!!! I could write a song for this....