A Year Or A Day

Well today is an anniversary of sorts for me. One year ago on this date I had major by-pass surgery after the doctors warned me I would not live till Christmas. It took me six months to fully recover from all the problems and side effects, but now everything appears normal. Although thirty one pounds lighter I see no effects of problems I had before this date. I can do things that before that time I had figured had passed my life by.

With all of this came certain mental changes in life. The appreciation of what one has, what is real and matters most. I may not be wealthy but I'm a rich man inside. Although I will have to monitor certain health issues for the rest of my life, at least now I feel confident inside that the strength to do so is there. I have been told on several occassions by other physicians who read my records and the doctors notes how lucky I am just to be here.

So today is a celebration of sorts to me. Not openly or that others may understand, but rather what I found and wish to keep.

The Old Man On The Porch [part II]

Get a job. It seems that today's younger generation isn't as good as we we're on this. Or is just today it's harder to get that job? I don't think so, these jobs I speak of are out there. The current crop of drooping pants, video game expert, McDonald's fed, no singing music, "let's all look like a circus freak" generation has taken up the concept of wanting a paycheck without doing the work to get it.

For the youth that is, not for someone in my position. Close to 50 years old, white, male, the cards are against me finding another chance since I won't bend to certain basic society rules. I refuse to cut my hair [just imagine the drug test I have to face] and I speak my mind. Society rule number 1: "Shut up and listen to what we tell you". I failed that one right off.

The days are gone when a man could be a man. Before microwave ovens, before drive up windows fed the family. Hell, in a way I sound like a Merle Haggard song but it's true. We [and I speak of my generation here] are now just pawns. We live by the rules our generation helped to create [affirmative action, immigration laws.......so on] and we punish ourselves for the mistakes of our fathers, grandfathers and so on. Why? I feel as if I was a victim of something I didn't do, a crime I didn't commit. But yet I'm punished. Again, why?

Back to the job thing, I'm assigned temps to work under me on a constant basis. Each seem to present an agenda, a reason why they feel they should be treated different. An excuse to get away from the job requirements. Most last less then a week, some much longer but it's always the same story. Part of my position is to relieve them to give them breaks and lunch time. I make it a habit [out of boredom] to give extra breaks most nights. How do they repay me? They take extra time away and extend breaks for 5 to 10 minutes or more. On the lunch thing it can be up to half an hour more. So I cut them off from extra help, I don't like to be taken advantage of.

Not all of the individuals in this class are like this, there are many good ones. Ones raised to understand to make it you have to work. But the majority can be summed up in one word, "lazy". So now tell me, where does this leave the next generation?