The other night, my brother and I shared one of our rare moments when we actually talk about what’s going on in our lives and share our thoughts about things.  It was motivated by his current struggle to maintain his finances to fit his/his families lifestyle.  Of course, my current financial state came up.

My family doesn’t really understand me. It’s a given but, hey, they love and support me. In one aspect that they surely don’t get from me is in my choice of jobs.  They can’t seem to wrap their minds around the fact that I would choose the unstable and often low-paying retail career over other things.  My comeback is usually that I want to work doing something I enjoy or with people I like and, also, I like the ability to just go to work, do it, and leave.  I don’t enjoy working in stressfull things. 

During our conversation, when my brother questioned this, I responded simply by saying “Why not? I don’t have anyone but myself to worry about.”  One of the main reasons I’ve never really focused on forming partnerships or having a family is precisely because I don’t want to have someone else’s life in my hands. I don’t want to live with that pressure. 

Anyway, my point in this ditty is that, lately, I’ve been down about being broke and struggling to be able to do many of the things I need and want, like put gas in my car.  Today, at work, I was once again reminded that I really shouldn’t complain.

At one of my jobs, an older Mexican lady works there. She isn’t fluent in English, doesn’t have a car, she had three kids, and is the sole earner of her family.  Everyday she takes the bus to be at work by 4am or 6am, and works hard and well and motivated.  Her struggles are so much more than man could ever be and it reminded me that, no matter how hard my struggles will get, they will never be as hard as those that have to support a family. 

Thus, my lifes choices are reaffirmed in many ways.