People are sheep. It is in our nature to want to be accepted by others, praised by others, wanted by others. It is a difficult thing to overcome, even if you are conscious of it. To be different makes you weird, it makes you vulnerable to ridicule by the sheep who want to bring you down to build themselves up.
As a parent, how do you convey the gravity of life to your children but not make them grow up too quickly? You don't want them to be outcasts, but you want them to find their own identity based on their wants and not to try to please the crowd. I find this especially tough with my daughter, who I try so hard to keep young, innocent and tomboyish despite very strong influences that base their life on looks, money, vanity and perception. I struggle with the meaning of it all, and I have settled on (at least for now) that my sole purpose is my children. My job is what I do, my hobbies are my entertainment but my family what makes me who I am.
In spite of the bad decisions I've made and the irresponsible things I have done, good thing have blossomed and flourished. I have tried to give religion and god a chance, but I find myself back at the same point pertaining to people following one another because it's our nature. It is the reason why religions vary by region, by ethnicity. All we really have is our relationships and our family to make a lasting mark and to influence the future.
6/6/14
6/5/14
The Real World
When you are young you lack perspective. You can be well-educated, have a good bit of common sense and have the world by the short and curlys, but there is just no way to actually know how well you have it because you don't have a basis of comparison. Unless you were born in a third-world country or your parents were migrant farm workers, chances are pretty good you had a decent childhood. If you are reading this from a war-torn North African country, I apologize for generalizing my audience.
Today in line at Rancho Market I was behind a man and woman who bought $250 worth of Totino's Frozen Pizzas, ice cream and Monster Energy on a welfare card. WTF? If you want to eat and drink overpriced heart attacks, get a job and pay for it. Until then eat peanut butter and jelly. It's maddening.
The cliche "Welcome to the Real World" was not just what the emcee of MTV's hit reality show would say on the first episode of the new season, it was a warning my dad would give me when trying to cue me in on how great I had it. And I did. I made good money, not great money, but good money. I traveled like dust in the wind, not just around our county but all over the world. People wanted to be my friend, not because of my sparking personality, but because I was fast on a dirt bike. It was a peculiar life, but I lived the shit out of it.
These days I live a normal life. I cannot use my celebrity to get free stuff or negotiate deals to get paid to take European vacations. I go to work and pay my bills, I shuttle my kids to a from an endless array of events and meetings. I watch my bank account dwindle each week before getting replenished on pay day. I can honestly say I am in the real world. The unforgiving, thankless, stressful and often infuriating "real world". It's a far cry from moto-stardom, but nothing can last forever. I sure do appreciate the good old days...
Today in line at Rancho Market I was behind a man and woman who bought $250 worth of Totino's Frozen Pizzas, ice cream and Monster Energy on a welfare card. WTF? If you want to eat and drink overpriced heart attacks, get a job and pay for it. Until then eat peanut butter and jelly. It's maddening.
The cliche "Welcome to the Real World" was not just what the emcee of MTV's hit reality show would say on the first episode of the new season, it was a warning my dad would give me when trying to cue me in on how great I had it. And I did. I made good money, not great money, but good money. I traveled like dust in the wind, not just around our county but all over the world. People wanted to be my friend, not because of my sparking personality, but because I was fast on a dirt bike. It was a peculiar life, but I lived the shit out of it.
These days I live a normal life. I cannot use my celebrity to get free stuff or negotiate deals to get paid to take European vacations. I go to work and pay my bills, I shuttle my kids to a from an endless array of events and meetings. I watch my bank account dwindle each week before getting replenished on pay day. I can honestly say I am in the real world. The unforgiving, thankless, stressful and often infuriating "real world". It's a far cry from moto-stardom, but nothing can last forever. I sure do appreciate the good old days...
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