Let me explain. While you all know me as a writer who is struggling to get recognition, as well as a father of three awesome girls, what you don't know is that I am also a computer technician, a security guard as well as a host of other jobs held over the years and while I possess many skills; I find myself in between long bouts of unemployment.
It wasn't always like this. At one time, say about ten years or more ago, I was a young lad who faced the world with such passion and felt so completely high on himself that finding work was never a problem. I had never been fired from a job (choosing to quit instead) and still held a pretty good work history. I felt there was nothing I couldn't do...
But I was wrong, and two experiences would show me just how wrong I was.
Security: Circa 2001
My first major employment after highschool. I loved this job. The money was great, the benefits were awesome, the jobsecurity, oh the job security, and the people. Awesome people. This job was a true benefit for me. I was happy at this job. While I had worked at a few places as a Security Officer, the place where I ended my days was the Douglas Elliman/Beitler building located on Chicago's Gold Coast.
This was a great place to work and a great experience for me. I mean I really loved it there. Mind you the job had it's moments, since I had to check every single floor of an office building every night, but hey...kept me in shape. Going down stairs is tiring but only had to do it like twice a shift. Being downtown, also allowed me to go clubbing or drinking after work with Quentin, who would stop by quite often as my shift came to an end. Those were good times for me, and the pay was decent. Because of that job, I was able to purchase a vehicle and generally had money in my pocket all the time. I look back on those days with joy, because to be honest, I haven't seen them since 2001.
Also during this time, I was playing a lot of Dungeons and Dragons on Saturdays. I freaking loved the campaign, playing with Musa, James, Corey, Bub, sometimes Calvin, and a few others. It was everything I had every imagined in a pen and paper game with a lot of humor to boot.
My life was pretty awesome at this point. I had a steady job, my own vehicle, a roof over my head, and a fairly carefree life, able to do and go where ever I wanted at any time. There were no limits for me. Then something happened.
I failed to realize how important my lifes happiness was and what allowed for that happiness. My job. I was young, and while I enjoyed working, well I was young and a bit stupid.
My job had changed the schedules to where I no longer had Saturday evenings off. While I had always worked Saturdays (usually 2nd shift) I didn't want to do Saturdays 3rd shift permanently.
This angered my 20-something self. I wouldn't be able to go clubbing, wouldn't be able to play D&D, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself on the weekends, since I already worked Fridays and Sundays. Nothing happened on Sundays anyway.
So like many twenty something year olds I did what I felt was the right thing to do.
I Quit!
Yes, like a dumbass, I quit a unionized job that gave me benefits, job security and decent livable wages; for not having saturdays off.
Red Foreman is right. I am, or at least I was a dumbass.
What I learned from that situation, is that never take for granted anything in life. If things are good, work hard to make them better. If things are great, work harder to make them greater, but never assume that your the situation you find yourself in will always be what it is, because all it takes is one stupid mistake on your part or just the winds of fate to change that.
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