I'm an Asshole! But I'm a Happy Asshole.

I wake up happy. Unless I feel ill in which case I wake up apprehensive. But, at least I'm willing to give the new day (or afternoon depending on my work schedule) a fighting chance at impressing me. Most of the time, I'm disappointed. But, that's okay too.

I wake up happy becuase in general I'm a happy person. I like me, I love my life. Not because I'm incredibly succesful by measure of modern standards. I don't have a lot of money, a big house, nice cars, addoring fans, or whatever else people try to measure success by.

I have a fairly middle-ground job that potentially has a lot of stress. Being the police carries with it a certain amount of shared misery with the people I deal with. I accept that. I'm getting tired of it, but I accept it. I earn a modest income that is only overcome with a debt I energetically took on during my youthful exuberence. Not a good plan by the way. I suggest all others avoid credit at all costs.

What I do have however is a wife that loves me and I dearly love back with everything I can muster. I have two great kids. One a girl who is growing into a responsible if not somewhat easily distracted young lady. The other is an incredibly charming boy albeit one with special needs. I have two good natured dogs who greet me every single moment with an enthusiasm that says, "We think your awesome. Now feed us". I live in a modest house that I could take better care of if I weren't such a procastinator. But, it's very comfortable and it is filled with the above mentioned goodness.Plus it's right across the street from a meat market. Steak is good. My wife and I have two cars. Neither of them new or in new condition but both of them paid for. In short, I have everything that I need to be happy. Perfect.

And then, I take my happy self to work and deal with people that show me that apparently I'm confused about something. They are all miserable. Some of them make more money, have nicer houses, nicer cars, healthier kids, nicer looking and more expensive dogs. But they are still miserable. Why? I've come to the conclusioon that all of them, from the whiniest whino to the most succesful businessperson all have horribly disproportionate expectations. All of them have some idea that they either deserve more out of life than they;ve earned.

This is  where the "I'm an Asshole" part comes in. If you are unhappy, you have earned it. Somehow, somewhere through every effort you have made the moves needed to be miserable. People have been told every day of their lives for the last few generations that they are the greatest (and they are not), that they are the smartest (when fruit possess higher intellect), that they are the prettiest (when a dog would require a well marinaded pork chop hung around the neck to play with them), that for some reason they deserve great things even though they don't ever put forth the effort or possess the needed traits to achieve it.

Why do we tell our kids, "You can be anything you want to be if you only try hard enough" when we all know it's rubbish? A more truthfull statement would be, "Try your best and push yourself. Achieve what you can and redirect yourself away from things you can not". I like that one much better.

I have to get ready for work now. I'll continue this soon.