We Just Ordinary People

I’m just an ordinary guy. I like nice things but it doesn’t define me. I am cool with a good barbeque pit, all the channels on the cable box and cold beer. During my adult life that frame of mind may have hindered my professional growth. The thing is that although I probably could be more advanced, I am totally comfortable and not going crazy like some you are. Don 't take that to mean that I don't want to grow and prosper. I really do. I just think I am a pretty great guy regardless. I struggle with this mindstate because I am usually the only one around that see's it like this. Everyone appears to be in a panic to change where they are except me.
Why can’t we feel good about just having jobs and doing regular stuff. We all need to keep getting bigger houses, bigger cars and bigger debt just to keep feeding that foolish notion that somehow that makes us better people. I can’t prove this but I think we are the only group of people in this country that are never happy being regular people. We are the people who spend money on things way out of heir price range to feel included. Look at our movies, books, schools, churches and television shows. Black people pay attention to the overly blessed and gifted or the drastically ignorant and poor. It’s the upper-class or the thugs with nothing in between. Nobody recognizes the guy that works for the sanitation department or the sisters that work in housekeeping doing what they have to do everyday and are not mad about it. We are expected to want to do better than our current situation. If you do anything less than that you are considered crazy. It’s the reason why brothers lie to sisters all the time about all the things they are planning to do when in reality they don‘t plan on doing anything. It’s the reason the sisters always pick the fantasy guy and end up depressed and unsatisfied. It’s the reason our young people would rather make some rapper who brags about having things they can’t afford their hero instead of the plumber that lives across the street. It’s the reason that same plumber feels bad sometimes for actually liking his job. Nobody around him wants to be who and where they are so something has to be wrong with him. You should feel good about an honest day's work and liking what you do. You shouldn't feel bad for enjoying your modest home and still living in the old neighborhood. The pursuit of material possessions has way too much power in determining our self worth. If you have the means to shine then by all means do so. If you don't have that ability right now, don't look at yourself any less because of it. If you conduct yourself in the right way, you can shine in a hooptie.

Clifton