Thursday, July 4, 2013

Summer Showdown: My Independence Day



Dear Friends,

Well it is the 4th of July, and as I am an American, we celebrate out independence from England. However, this is my own version of being independent. It has been over a month of not working and not being out in the sun sweating all afternoon and evening. My life for the last ten years was of being out in the sun sweating to make tips and making money. So today is my freedom from that horrible state of existence. This entry is going to show you all that my life is not about working a job that was not my life plan after ten years.

Before I started working at my former place of employment, I was use to hiding in cooler places avoiding the heat. I love summer because of the weather and also because it was around my birthday. However, I hated summer because most of my places to hide would be closed or on shorten hours. My biggest memories were of being in school during the summer just to have an excuse to be active. My former job was my escape but the longer I was doing it, the longer I was feeling the fun and excitement leave my soul. So I am happy that I don’t have to worry so much about that job anymore.

I was born in August and to most people; it was the end of the summer season. When I was younger, my birthday was the precursor to the end of summer. Even though Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, my birthday is the precursor. I bring this up because my former job would consume my summer. All the picnics, concerts, fairs and fireworks that I have missed or barely saw were not something I wanted to miss. It was bad enough as a kid that I missed fun because of something but as an adult, my excuse was working. One thing that makes me happy now is that next year, I can go to fairs, fireworks, picnics, and most of all, concerts. This job was more like a death sentence because of all the stress and added hassles in my life. So thank you God for this freedom.

My biggest thing that I am happy about from not working my former job and being free to do what I want to do during the summer is swimming. Most people find that funny because I haven’t been swimming since 2007. I love to swim. Actually, I love to move freely in water. Even though my astrological sign is of an earth symbol, I love water. I lived close to water all my life. No matter where I was at from Detroit to Flint to Monroe, I have been near water. I can swim and relax in the water again.

Finally, one aspect of not working at this job anymore is the freedom to do what I want and also be able to do something different in my life. My life was not meant to be a vendor or grunting to get tipped and paid. I might have had to change my life goals but I don’t want to be old and penniless. Hopefully, one day I can look back at this freedom and independence as a godsend not as a fuck up or mistake. Hopefully, I can write about that sooner than later.









Eugene Chandler III

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