How Not To Seize The Day

Another day has begun. The sun has risen, er…, the earth has rotated and given the illusion that the sun has risen. I kind of like this illusion. Some people are starting the day with a positive mindset while others go to work grudgingly. I lay somewhere in between and fluctuate from side to side depending on how well I slept.

When I was in primary school there was a poster on the wall that said, “Today is the first day of the start of your life!” Everyday I saw that poster. Every day. I didn’t know what the hell it meant. There was also a poster of a cat hanging from a branch that said, “Hang in there!!” Between the two posters I had mixed feelings and couldn’t figure out why my teacher had them hanging side by side on the wall.

Now I do.

Life is a Hodgepodge of mixed messages and a roller coaster of feelings. There is no guide book, though some will argue with me saying that. I personally think that we come to this life only because of biology. Then we are left to our own whims and fantasies. Some people find financial success while others scrape to get by. People in my neighborhood drive Porsche's, I drive a Hyundai. I am lower class. But I love my Hyundai!

I am clearly a worker bee in the scheme of life. I could never achieve the status of the queen bee. …and I would not want to. You can have all the honey in the world, but without us worker bees there would be no honey. So the queen bee is in a precarious position. I’ve never joined a union, though the option is available, and at times I sway that way. But I am kind of a risk taker in that area. You know, “Come what may” and all of that schtick. I’m just happy that I have a job!

I figure most people don’t do what they are passionate about. They are caught between the ‘rock and a hard place’ theory. They have to pay their bills and eek out a living, so some sacrifices have to be made. Not everyone can be a movie star. I wanted to be a drummer in a famous rock band or an actor/comedian when I was growing up. I am a drummer and a wry comedian of sorts, but I don’t happen to make money doing those things. I didn’t know how to step up my game.

I tell my children to follow their hearts and become what they want to become in life. You know, the ol’ follow your passion thing. I wish I had someone tell me that when I was young; A mentor of sorts. Instead, I was placed into the crowd and had to make due. It’s not as sad as it sounds, I’m pretty much like the everyday person you meet in life. Nothing special folks. Though in my mind I think I am. Hey, I’m writing, which is one of my passions. I’m not making any money doing it, but writing has opened my mind to a well of creativity and I take that as my reward. …though I would like to make money doing it.

That’s just it! People can make money writing! I’m just not worthy of it yet and it’s kind of crowded at the top with all the competition, and facing the facts, there are people who have been doing this gig way longer than I have. But that’s not an excuse from me, I think it is just bad timing on my part. I should have done this earlier. I use to write way back in high school, mostly lyrics for my future punk band, which never came to fruition. I think the cards of life are simply stacked against me.

Every day I wake up is the first day of the rest of my life. Yeeeesh! I mean, wow! Every day!! Now there is another saying I have come upon that states, “New day, same shit.” It’s almost like the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ come true. But I’m a positive kind of guy and look forward, sometimes, to the day ahead. I’m hanging in there!, meow. I imagine a little fist bump to my chin and a pat on the back, then begin my day.

It’s not all bad in Arthur’s World.

I am blessed with a wonderful and spectacular family. I look forward to seeing my children come home from school and tell me about their day. My wife comes home exhausted, looking gorgeous, and we have some real cool conversations. So in this aspect I am happy as Larry (whomever Larry is). No complaints there.

My work is another thing all together. I tend to get along with most of my colleagues, and others I simply loathe. So I ignore those ones. I won’t get into it as I’m sure that you know what I mean. It’s expected. I just make do with what I have and when my day ends I skedaddle and drive home in my Hyundai, which is a dream to drive. I was like a cat just hanging in there and upon arriving home I start living the first day of the rest of my life. My groundhogs day commences once again when I wake in the morning.

I haven’t really been out and about in a long time. I do make an effort to go down to the bay and look over the water and sky in search of seeing a UFO. As I mentioned in previous articles, I would love to meet a real alien. Of course I would be freaked out if that ever occurred, so there is a little bit of me that hopes that it never happens which underlies my curiosity. But hey, new day new experiences!

I actually do look forward to waking up. Firstly I check to see that I am alive and didn’t die in my sleep. Once I confirm that I check my social media to see what in the world happened while I was sleeping. That is when I recognize the ‘same ol’ shit, different day’ feeling. I keep hoping that when I wake up and check in on the world that I will read something extraordinary, like “Aliens make contact and they are concerned about the human race.” But I know that the aliens would most likely annihilate us and rebuild the earth to accommodate them and their needs.

I guess you could say that my pessimism contradicts my opportunism. That’s just the way I roll. I was like that since birth, as I was born as a breach baby. Just checking the waters before I made my grand entrance into this world. I’ve been like this ever since. I want to visualize how everything plays out before I commit to anything. I’m a bases loaded kind of guy and am deciding whether I should bunt, or go for the home run.

I can’t seize the day. It’s just not in me. I sort of amble along until I find my stride. As when I used to run long distances, I would start off slowly and build up to my pace. When I reached my peak pace I could run at a good clip for quite a distance. I was in the zone. At the end of an hours run I could have kept on running, and there were a few times I did. It was such an exhilarating feeling. Oh I long for those days. Now a day I stroll as I walk, taking in the sights while deep in thought.

So now you know my approach to life. I’m the fat cat hanging on for dear life while I begin the rest of my life every hour. I discourage seizing the day and replace it with enjoying the day. I like this pace. It accommodates my lifestyle. There is nothing like laying in bed at the end of my day listening to intriguing podcasts about astrophysics and quantum mechanics. I’m living my best life. I sincerely wish that You are living your best life. Chow!