For as long as I can remember, I've been stuck in between two seemingly diametrically opposed worlds. The first one, the world I was born into, is of the working class in 20th century U.S. and the second one, the one that was born in me, the apparent need to write and move.
I am part of the lower classes within today's society. I have no university degree to speak of and no vocational/technical skills to rely on. What a loser, am I right? I think I just realized why I'm still single... But I digress.
So what options does someone like me have? I have no savings to speak of or investments because I live paycheck to paycheck. My parents have no money, stocks or property to pass on to me. If I had some of those options, maybe I could take a stab at going back to school and get a degree but I don't, and school costs money too(more and more as time goes on).
Fortunately, I am still young enough not to be discriminated by age and strong enough to handle manual labor. So, I could do that, right? Well, I have and although I had no problems learning and executing my two year stint as an electrician's helper, I took no joy in it. I've worked in restaurants as almost every position available both front and back house. I've done office work... and hated it. Retail, of course. I even had a brief go as a hipster cafe worker in Silver Lake, CA.
Every one of these helped pay bills but none satisfied my soul... what a middle class idea, right? It is a luxury I can't afford, right?
Something inside me, I don't know what, makes me naturally restless. I am a curious person. I love to learn even though I was a failure in school. I am passionate about books. To be more specific, I love story telling, whether it is a book, a film, a scientific explanation of natural phenomena or a work of art. If I am not writing or learning about something, I become very unsettled. It almost seems like a necessity.
The same goes for moving. My body, that is. I may have never boasted the body of an athlete but I have been active all my life. Whether it was martial arts, dance, sport or a combination of these, I have kept myself in constant flow and it doesn't seem to
diminish as I get older. I may have periods of time where I stop for one reason or another(usually work), I always find myself looking for another method of movement. At the moment I am getting more and more invested in Jiu-jitsu.
All my life, I've assumed that my passions and my circumstances have been at odds. Is it possible that there may be a symbiotic relationship I never saw before? Well, I'm going to take the plunge while I'm still young(dumb) enough to try. Let's see if I can make a living out of my passions. I will continue writing. I will continue moving.
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