I'm going to use a cartoon to help make my point. And if you're an adult who doesn't get much out of cartoons then well, I can't help ya.
I'm usually a very Hank Hill kind of a person. I've always thought that a person has a calling, but mine was never to sell propane and propane accessories. I've always known that I want to be a reporter.
So I went to school and made up my mind to be a damn good one. And in that goal I was successful. I work for a major daily paper, and I got where I am because I worked for it.
Again, like Hank, I've always thought that the only thing anyone had to do in this country is find out what they're good at and apply themselves. Given enough time and effort, it will all pay off because America is a place where that can happen for anyone.
In short, as Hank puts it, "Find out where your niche is, that'll lead to rich-es."
My wife and I both found our callings. I'm a reporter, and she's a teacher. The money has never been great, but through savings and smart decisions we've been able to get a house, buy one good car, and start to raise a baby.
But when I look into that baby's eyes in the last few days, all I feel is fear for the future.
For about a year, we've been living paycheck to paycheck. As we've taken on the expense of health insurance for all three of us we've also worked extra hard to earn promotions at our respective jobs. But in the big picture, what we're bringing in has been about even with what is going out for the better part of the year.
It's not that we can't tighten our belts, either. We've cut back on luxuries like dining out, or my wife's bottle of chardonnay or my own bottle of whiskey now and then. We've put home improvement projects on hold. Generic food? Who cares? Clipping coupons? Pass the scissors. I haven't bought a new DVD in months, despite my love of movies.
Despite all this trimming of fat, the way my wife figures it we'll be in the hole very soon. When we have to start paying for child care (nothing fancy, just paying a friend to look after the baby in her home) we'll finally reach the point where we're no longer even breaking even.
Now I'm faced with the inevitable. I'm going to have to leave my calling behind.
Just a few dirty handfuls of money more a month and this wouldn't be necessary. I could continue to do the work that I was made to do. But I was turned down for a raise, and there's no time in my schedule to supplement my income in any way. My wife's schedule is even more stretched than mine.
So it's come to this. I'm updating my resume and I'll begin putting in for a public relations job. My wife, too, will likely leave her teaching job for some other field.
Our integrity sells for so little. But there it is. I have to provide for that little boy with the shining eyes. He deserves better than what my calling can provide to our family.
Michelle Obama gives a speech where she talks about the bar that's always being raised over our heads. I can't find a transcript of it, but essentially she has come to the same conclusion that I have -- there's something terribly wrong with a country where people can't pursue their callings anymore because it won't pay the bills.
This is not pretty political language or gamesmanship. It's the God's honest truth. I am living it right now.
Michelle got in some trouble for saying that people's souls are broken. Her husband Barack got in even more trouble for saying that people are bitter.
This, again, is the socio-political reality of the situation. I decided long ago what I wanted to do. I worked hard to become one of the best in my workplace. And now I can't continue to do this anymore for a matter as simple as money.
I hate that this is happening in my country. I've always thought this country was a place where hard work was rewarded with an honest buck. It might seem naive, but that's a piece of naivety that I never wanted to lose.
From my family to yours, I hope that you are doing whatever it is that you love to do. I hope that you can afford to make a difference in this world. Because for me, at least at this moment, I can no longer do that.