I love moments of boredom. Those snippets of time, such as when encountered at doctors offices, or being forced to stand in line. And for someone who suffers from Post-Traumatic Line Stress Disorder, PTLSD; boredom can be something cherished, when I’m tired; or when my mind is racing. Then there those times in between, when my mind of inquisitive and it begins to wonder, and I revert to a time when I was younger, late teens, just having a cup of coffee in riverside Frankfurt, Germany, watching beautiful girls pass by living what I called ‘five minute lives,’ with them. Of course, being a kid with nothing to offer, I knew the realities of relationships, and the relationships I was offered, meaningless encounters that contributed nothing to healthy mindsets.
I’ve often asked myself, ‘Is anyone real?’ I know it’s an odd question, I admit. I look at social media and laugh at people constantly posting their newest selfies trying to project themselves as living their glamorous lives that require their followers to constantly check for updates. It’s just not my style. I was once all about privacy, and still am to a point. But as far as posting my facade to social media. I’m not like that. First off, I don’t consider myself photogenic. lol. I’m far from the cute produce kid who was asked to deliver groceries to ladies following lectures on the benefits of smooth, green, 3I/ATLAS shaped vegetables. Besides, I only post the latest editions of the paper to my social media, and the more interesting stories that I cover. But I do update with an occasional, non-AI’ed headshot, since I loathe catfishing, and want to set an example in being honest in presenting oneself to the public.
I wish I could read minds at times, more just to detect pain and sadness, and help heal concerns in some way. Sometimes at concerts, I occasionally get distracted by a particular player, usually associated with the detection of melancholy, and find myself wondering about their peculiar lives and how it was determined that our lives should interact at that point. It’s not attraction or anything, it’s just the ability of one person who has suffered to recognize another, and in a way feel their pain. I’d really like to help heal, but unless placed in the right conditions, it is impossible, but I know how to get them the help they need. Most who post on social media only want to expose their glamour, with a few exceptions, and the comments, or feedback, is mostly positive and helpful.
At school events, I see some students with deep pain, which is not hard to spot if you know what to look for, and my goodness there are some cases that can be savage. You really feel for the kids because no child should ever be subject to pain. At a recent doctor’s visit, while waiting, since I didn’t take my reMarkable tablet to jot down notes, I decided to take a boredom break. And I noticed a receptionist. She was a white-haired lady, obviously of retirement age, and just looking at her, I figured that as a younger woman she would have been very pretty. I almost got up and asked her, “Do you wanna be here, or do you need to be?” In her demeanor and presentation, it is obvious she is used to some sort of luxury at some point in her life. Now whether she is living it now or in the past, I don’t know. The purse she maintained was indicative of a lifestyle that indicated some sort of wealth. Then I got to thinking about what I see in spending amongst my Facebook friends and even family with lavish trips to Europe, Disney World, etc. Which is fine, there is nothing wrong with living in the moment. I’ve lived it, but now my health dictates my non-travel status rules my life. Each family deserves vacations, but they also need to properly prepare for retirement as well. And over living the lavish spending aspect of pleasure can be at the detriment to living when income reduces somewhat in retirement. Which I venture may be the case with the white haired receptionist. If she lived comfortably in retirement, I would have her pegged as volunteering her time just to keep busy instead of working as a receptionist in a doctors office. And there are so many other reasons that could have affected her status, besides tons of trips; medical bills, bad investments, lack of planning for retirement, etc., all have consequences as to how we live our lives in our waning days.
I credit my parents with instilling saving and investing as part of my life growing up. They encouraged putting aside money for trips, which I took advantage of while living in Europe. And one of the reasons I can draw cash from my account just to give away to someone on the street, or write a check for a car, or donate to an organization I care about with more than two or three zeros, it’s all a reward to early attitudes which I adhered to as a very young man. My heirs are gonna receive plenty, and for the ones who may look at their windfall as one that might not be beneficial to others, their percentages will probably be reduced. My windfalls in my younger years went right back into my goal to retire as soon as I could, and that requires a logical amount of reduced spending, unless you are worth hundreds of millions. Which I’m not, but still I would encourage those to carry plenty of hundreds to make someone’s day for anyone they encounter, with of course not expecting anything in return. That’s key, and it equals fulfillment. And essentially it’s real.
Wisdom plays such an incredible part in our lives. Unfortunately, so many of us just don’t have the encounters to be advised to adhere to good influences and intentions that judge how we live our lives. Very few of us get rich quick, and even those born into wealth are less willing to expose themselves to poverty even if they are inclined to give to charitable organizations. I have readers, acquaintances, friends, even family, who are billionaires, worth hundreds or tens of millions. I myself don’t worry about resources, with my life on automatic. All I do is eat, breath, write, get sick, go to the ER, rinse and repeat. Well, not exactly in that order, and a few of those items I could personally do without, but we have to live life with what we are given.
I wish we all were given an opportunity in which we had no choice but to succeed. Of course, it’s just not the case. Not all parents exhibit the same intentions in raising their charges, nor can everyone be rich or poor. The one thing we can govern is our self-will. If you have it, and it’s consistent, you can accomplish pretty much any goal you set for yourself. The more you are surrounded by successful people, the chances of your own success increase. It’s not necessarily money related, but more about being infected by their attitude, their personal spirit for achievement.
While everyone is searching for perfection, in their life partners, work, home, kids, etc., and it’s never gonna happen. Even with AI, the overperfection is easily detectable which in itself is imperfect. Everyone who drives a nice car is seen as rich and mysterious, or someone who posts photos of their far-off adventures or some gala on social media, wants to present themselves as living a celebrity life. Well, I’m pretty sure they have the same bedhead that I present when I wake-up. Take a picture of that and post it. Now that’s real!
I think we need more humility in our lives. Is helping someone that is below your status above you? I would hope not. I’ve seen men of great status humble themselves, and whether it’s serving fries at a McDonalds drive-thru, changing a bandage, or driving me to the ER, it shows true leadership and garners more of my respect. It goes so much farther than a picture featured on someone’s social media account, which can only tell so much about the person. The unreal only want you to see their facade, which is only a millimeter thick, but there is a whole rubric of what describes a person, and personal appearance is but one question. Show me your mind. Show me your heart. That is what is missing in presenting yourself to others. For the fakers who want your attention, they have that interesting exterior, counter against an empty interior, in that when you go below the skin, the bigger the disappointment. I suppose that’s why divorce is so prevalent in our society. When a beautiful couple that looks perfect together falls apart, then you know communication between the eyes is so much less important than communication between the mind and heart. There is so much that physical concerns can only be applied, and many do not realize that there is another whole world in personal expression.
How many write their partners-in-life a poem? Or their supervisors or bosses a note of thanks? And it doesn’t need to be written in cursive or fountain pen, although it would be nice. Special touches like that show our humanity, a notable caring that presents yourself as being human. Plain and simple. Real.