The Kickstart

Ya do what ya gotta do, and ya don't worry about it.

Were more true words ever said? I cannot recall exactly how old I was when my father expounded that thought upon me in one of the many lectures that helped shape the person I have become. But with all the words that have been said from him to me, those are my favorite. Right now, it is time for me to start living by those words once again.

This year has not been banner in terms of my luck. Some of the less pleasant of life's challenges have come up. As we wind down 2004, the bad things must be put behind and in order to look ahead to the better things in life (like gainful employment).

There is so much for which to be thankful. The reminders are always thrown down at me. Sure, I was forced out of my job, but that is nothing compared to what happened to one of my best friends on my eighth wedding anniversary, when I got an early morning phone call and he explained that he suddenly lost his sister.

Talk about perspective.

When something like that happens, and you have to see someone you love break down in front of you, the mass of human emotions comes in tsunami form. But I think the thing I most felt was grateful.

I was grateful for what I had, grateful that my friend would call me and not be afraid to lean on me in his worst moments, grateful that six other guys with whom I went to college could be rounded up in a flash and be there for the one in need, even though we graduated almost 15 years ago.

Then you realize that being grateful is not enough. You have to take advantage of the good fortune and do right for yourself, your family, your friends and your fellow man. Part of that is not burying your talents. That's the part that drove me to Blogville, a Cyber "place" I guess.

I claim to be a writer. I used to get paid to write about sports, but I gave it up because the hours and the pay did not cut the muster. Then I went into Internet news content management, look-and-feel stuff. It was great to forge ahead in the frontier atmosphere of a start-up company, and I proudly remain in touch with my beloved charges. Then it was off to the unemployment line for longer than a while, before I became a production manager for this big, fat book with a lot of drug information.

Now I am supposed to be deciding how I am going to tie together all of this diverse experience into something worth while that will pay a lot. One of the things I need to do is to sharpen up on my writing, so I am soliciting critical comments from my audience. I take requests. Throw a subject at me and I'll give it a shot. If you don't, I'll just spout about my favorite subject: Sewing.

I always had a take. Now I have a forum.