About Paying For It

Post 1073:

            We were watching my little nephew play soccer the other day. He’s the man, really fast and definitely developing quickly. A year ago he couldn’t do half the things he’s now mastered. Kids are pretty amazing like that.

            When we get older and we’re trying to get good at something, it feels slow. Really slow. But “adult things” are only mastered by adults, except in the rarest cases.

            Let’s define “adult things” before it gets weird. Or weirder.

            I’m talking about storytelling, painting, architecture, sculpture, rhetoric and poetry, etc. I wouldn’t really put those things in the realm of children. And yes, I know your kid is a genius, a wunderkind unlike anything the Earth has ever seen.

            I guess we’ll see.

            So it’s weird. I happen to think the adult stuff takes a long time for a reason. For one thing, there’s no rush. (Hopefully) What I mean is, you can be a great painter or speechwriter or poet until the day you die at a ripe old age. (Again, hopefully)

            So there’s no rush. Wait, no rush? Yeah, this is sorta bullshit. I don’t know anyone who isn’t impatient to move up a level in their skill or craft. But you’re not a kid. By that, I mean you probably have to pay the bills, pay the taxes, pay the streaming service, pay the freight. You got to pay. And after all that, you have to pay your dues.

            Kind of a drag.

            Which is why most adults quit or get tired or burnt out in the game of getting good. It’s completely understandable and easier and more fun to just sleep off all that ambition and opt for something a little more comfortable.

            I say don’t panic. Take your time but keep a sense of urgency at the back of your thoughts. There aren’t enough people in the world who are good at things worth being good at. We need more. We need you. If you have a unique talent or skill, don’t let it wither on the vine.

            Whatever. Just take it easy. We don’t grow five inches in a summer or naturally gain twenty pounds of muscle in a season. We’re done with all that. Now we gotta work for it. We have to pay for it.

            Cheers and see you after.