The Trucker's Blessing

Just a few nights ago I was lieing in my bed, mildly depressed at my current state. I sometimes get frustrated because, having earned a bachelor's degree in business management, I argue that I should have a better job than I have.

I enjoy my job and I am sometimes proud of what I do. But when I spend my time working alongside highschoolers, I wonder just how far my degree got me. Now, the guys that I work with who are attending highschool are exceptional young men. They are smart, witty and relatively hard workers...I take that back. They're just smart and witty. But they're highschoolers, so you can't expect them to have a great work ethic. I at least have to hand it to them just for HAVING jobs; I didn't get a job until I was out of college.

So I guess I deserve what I'm going through in a way. But sometimes I just wonder what all the studying was for. So I was depressed and preparing myself for a night's rest. Oftentimes when I go to bed after a hard day's work the bible verse pops into my mind, "The sleep of a laboring man is sweet." Yet another example of the Bible having absolute truth. There are few things sweeter than resting my head on that pillow at night.

But then the very next day I had the opportunity to talk to my wife's grandmother, who we all affectionately call "Granny." and who I love very dearly. She told me she was seeing me grow in both spiritual and practical maturity. I could hear in her voice that she was proud of me, even though I was working an entry-level job; and she reminded me multiple times in that conversation that God places us in these places for a reason. He doesn't just stick us somewhere and forget about us. That was so relieveing to be reminded of.

Then another blessing came to me that night as the store was closing. I got called to the front of the store to answer a question that the team-members at customer service couldn't answer...again. When they simply attempted to explain the situation over the head-set I knew it was going to be a headache.

A customer had Sirius/XM in his big-rig truck and his old head-unit was broken. Intelligently, he had the geek-squad protection so he was just bringing it in for a swap-out. The tricky part was, no one was sure what to replace is WITH. So I took the time to help them along and talk with them and explain stuff. It all worked out in the end, but while we were working stuff out we started talking.

The customer, who had been driving his truck for 20 years, insisted that he needed Sirius radio for the metro opera and classical stations. In all my years I have NEVER heard of a trucker that listens to opera. To add to it, the man had an immaculate comb-over and a gentlemen's tone in his voice. It was puzzling, to be short.

Then I asked him how he got into this pompy music.

"Oh, I went to Juilliard" He says to me.

"That legendary school of music?" Says I.

The very same. A trucker went to one of the world's most recognized music schools. I ended the conversation there, finished up and then went on my way. But as I walked away, I began to ponder just what this man was. He seemed to be in the exact same boat I was in, except he was at least 60 years old. With every step I was more tempted to turn around and learn more. Then, by Divine Work, he called out to me and said he needed one more thing. "Oh, its over here" I said, and we began to walk across the store to retrieve the product.

Then I caved and asked him "So, whats your story? What did you do after you graduated?"

Turns out the man went straight into the opera. He told me stories of how he travelled the world, living out his music career in the greatest concert halls in the world, singing all the great operas. Then, twenty years into his career, he suddenly was struck with an incurable lung disease. He was forced to quit within a 2-year period.

"Then, I was forced to get into my second job. And that was driving."

I don't entirely understand the situation, and I can't be the one to make the final judgment. But when you graduate from a college like THAT, and you have a 20 year career like THAT, then SURELY you can get a job teaching. Or something. But instead the man chose to drive a truck. A good job. A hard job. An honest and honorable job. But that man was still over-qualified for it.

Yet despite his career absolutely tumbling and having to resort for the remainder of his life to a job that would never give him  rest or particularly good pay, the man was happy.

You could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, sense it in his calm, easy walk. The man was content in his life. He drove his truck, listened to the music he so loved and then came home to his wife. It was a pattern he had, and he was content to do it.

If a man like that can be content. If a man like that can be happy. I have absolutely no room to be disappointed by my circumstances.

Fighting the System

Through my teens and through College I always got high on the idea of being an individual and seperating myself from the norm. I mean, whats NOT cool about being completely independent, completely seperated from any description? It earned me a reputation among my peers, whether good or bad (it really depends on who you talk to).

Now that I'm out of the social stress and awkwardness of being around people 24/7 I find myself continuing to "fight the system" in unique ways. Sometimes I do it at work, like drinking from cans instead of bottles. Or by recommending a product that is considerably cheaper, but identical quality to customers just because I like the underdogs (it doesn't help profits and it doesn't help a customers self-confidence. Which is why people buy expensive things.)

I even "fight the system" in my purchases. That's one of the reasons I got a Windows Phone. I was bored of the iPhone, but more importantly, I wanted to have something no one else had. I wanted to support the underdog and watch them rise to power! I wanted to turn heads with my completely unique operating system!

Nerd.

I was tired of Apple dominating smartphones and I wasn't about to root for Android, which was a broken mess enjoyed by the masses cause they just didn't know any better (I know, I know. Thats just what I was thinking at the time. Settle down.) So I went with Windows Phone and the underdog Lumia 900. A great phone in many respects.

But then I got burned. Not realizing that Microsoft would have a crappy strategy with the Windows 8 platform, I bought in. Then I find out the system had barely any apps to speak of. There were hardly any games worth picking up, and the ones that were actually good cost 5 dollars. PFT! for a CELL phone game!? Then the software update came that wasn't even compatible with my phone, making my sexy piece of hardware outdated in a six-month period.

Lately I was thinking about getting the Raspberry Pi as a desktop platform for my work. I don't need a massive processor, and I don't need all the bells and whistles of a $300-400 laptop. I would just buy a 19 inch screen, all the cords I needed and have a functional computer for 160 bucks. Plus I'm pissed at Microsoft for screwing me over with my phone and I can't afford a Mac.

But then it hit me: Why am I doing this? Like, what am I ACTUALLY proving? I'm reminded of basically every rebellion in history. Here's how it usually goes: a bunch of people get upset at the big guy, they do things to upset him or to disrupt his influence, and then they get squashed like little bugs and people write about them later. Or the rebels lose interest and quit, in which case people just forget about them.

You can fight the powers in the business world. But it Ain't gonna do much. It's true in politics too. Now we should still do whats right when a government is trying to take over our lives. But technology and consumer products can't take over your life (not in a literal sense anyways).

By fighting the system in the world of consumer electronics, and consumer products in general for that matter, the only person you are hurting is yourself. I could get that little Raspberry Pi and not have to fork over the money on an overpriced laptop, but then I wouldn't be able to multi-task in my web browser or watch youtube videos. I also wouldn't have access to Office. Which is a pretty big deal if I'm trying to put in applications. By fighting the system when I got my Windows Phone, I gave up a really useful PDA and all the coolest apps on the market. I also gave up great customer service and long-term OS updates. I was proud of myself for the first couple of weeks, but after reality sank in I realized I was just acting stupid. And in that stupidity I wasted hard earned money and gave myself a compromised product.

Don't fight the system. Popular products are popular for a reason.