Thoughts with Richard Bleil
Of late, if I’m speaking with a friend late enough to wish them a good night, I have been adding, “We can try again tomorrow.” Depending on the day my friend has had, it can sound ominous, or hopeful, and sounds as if I might know something that they don’t.
In reality, I mean it to be thought-provoking and positive. It’s akin to that old saying “every day is a new day”. The reality is that regardless of the day we’ve had, no matter what we have accomplished, whatever didn’t work out the way we wanted it to, no matter what we wanted to accomplish but didn’t, we have an opportunity to improve in the new day. We can always do better, improve ourselves, or, in short, try again.
Some days are just devastating. Having spent time as a drifter without enough money to eat every day, what I am about to bring up sounds ridiculous and trite, but we’ll give it a try anyway. Having spent thousands of dollars to build my own computer recently, and hours of effort (which would have been much shorter had I had more experience), it was soul crushing to turn it on and discover it didn’t boot. My frustration was through the roof, and I was ready to give up on the oversized paperweight. But that night as I tried to clear my mind in a futile attempt to get some sleep, I went through the problem in my head. I thought of the errors shown on the motherboard q-code indicator, and realized that there were some things that I could do. I came up with a plan so I could try again tomorrow.
I’ve recently had some amazing days as well. After forty years of research (if you’re willing to be flexible on defining “research”), my calculations yielded an amazing insight on the hydrogen bond. The tumblers finally fell into place. For the first time since learning about the Hydrogen Bond, I finally felt like I truly understand it. Of course, science is not based on “one and done” results. Once there is an advancement, there must be follow up studies and research to test that conclusion. With my spirits elevated to the high heavens, in another sleepless night, I dwelled on this insight, and realized some of the follow-up studies that I would have to perform to test my new finding. With these new research steps in mind, I had what I needed so I could try again tomorrow.
It sounds like what I call “Mickey Mouse Advice”. Tomorrow’s a new day. That has little meaning when you’re thinking about your budget and realize that tomorrow is the “no food” day. But tomorrow is truly a new day. It’s just a matter of what you intend to do with it. I had been driven into the ground, my spirit shattered as I dwelt on losing very high-powered jobs (plural) and found myself surviving thanks to the charity of my friends. Being raised to be an independent and self-sufficient man, this period just destroyed me.
In the midst of it, though, I learned so many life lessons. After my car was repossessed (along with belongings I never had returned), I learned to appreciate public transportation, and found ways to budget what little income I had so at least I didn’t need to rely on my friends for food. It isn’t much when you’re invading their territory and time, but it was at least a minor victory. With the first Covid relief check, I found a way to get a vehicle to give me more freedom of travel, and had learned my lesson to avoid loans. It wasn’t pretty, but I felt blessed to have a truck that I could afford that was reliable. As a side note, the only other vehicle on the lot that I could have afforded didn’t even start.
I had a job and found another opportunity for an income from an online opportunity. It turned out to be, honestly, terrible, but it was supplemental income.
As I write this, I feel that old familiar lump in my throat. My parent’s inheritance has given me a rocket powered boost out of the hole I found myself in, and is allowing me to eat not only every day, but to (periodically) eat as extravagantly as I am today with a $60+ rack of ribs being delivered as I write this. It’s a powerful turn of fortune, but as I watch that inheritance dwindle and worry about how much longer it will last (spoiler alert: not long at all, maybe not even the year), I realize that I’ve found income opportunities before when I was not much younger than today. I can do it. I can find ways to bring in new sources of income streams. Because I can try again tomorrow.
Bleil's Banter 