Perspective...

My second submission to The New Citizens Press.

Perspective as printed 22 June 2008

Life is a drag isn't it, getting up every morning to go to work? Or for your second and third shifters you have the added pressure of your schedule being not quite like everyone else’s in your world. You probably work at a job that you don’t mind but it’s not really a dream job is it? On top of that if you have kids you have the added pressure of dealing with that 25/8. You love them but you had no idea it was going to be so taxing some times. 

Traffic sucks, bills never seem to stop pouring in, what’s the use of vacation time if you can’t afford to go across the county line? Fellas, how is your honey-do list coming along? 

It’s spring time while you are trying to figure how to get that boat in the water, finding a fourth for that golf league, or just looking for a place to drink a few beers with the boys this summer somewhere there is a car that needs to be fixed, an appliance that needs work or a part of the house that’s falling apart. How’s that yard looking? Are you having a difficult time keeping up with the Jones’s?

It seems there is always something going on. Work always gets in the way of life. There are never enough hours in a day. Weekends could always be longer. I know the feeling. I work at one job to take care of the necessities. I work wait tables at night at a fancy little place downtown Lansing. 

For the most part I like waiting tables. Other days I wonder if I would have been better off if I would have joined the circus. If you have ever worked in a restaurant you know that there is a lot of food that is thrown away. It’s just the nature of the business. If there is a group that has a buffet you can’t do anything with that food other than toss it after the event is over. The government said it’s unhealthy to re-use the food, they are probably right. Eventually it goes into the garbage along with coffee grinds, waste from food prep, and waste from other customers. Once it’s in the trash you wouldn't think of dipping in would you? Talk about a DNA Petri dish.

I make good money. I’m a little frustrated if I don’t walk out with another one hundred dollars in my pocket after a shift. On the flip side I’m a little more frustrated sometimes of the fact that I can’t afford to go out to eat where I work. I guess I could if it wasn't for all the other stuff that is pulling at my purse strings.

So after a long day of working two jobs, complaining about how tired I am it’s time to get into my car, go to my home that’s still a fixer upper after ten years, browse the web for a bit, eat some orange sherbet and take what never seems like more than an extended nap to do it all over again.

Of course things could be better. I could not be tired all the time. I could be out cultivating new friendships and enhancing some old ones. I could have more time to relax. I could work on my music more. I could be doing comedy. For some reason people think I’m funny.

As I was leaving the restaurant last night ready to have a mini pity party something startled me. There was someone leaning in the garbage dumpster. Have you seen a restaurant garbage dumpster? I accidentally threw my ear rings into this one once. I found them. It was a grotesque experience.

Now imagine my shock when I saw this man eating the food that he had found in that dumpster. There was a torn garbage bag with the trash laid across the other trash in the dumpster. He was mumbling something to himself that I couldn't understand. 

He looked up for a moment reached back in, grabbed some more and put it into his mouth. Pieces of food clung to his face. His eyes looked wild. His hands were full of someone else’s garbage. I could only walk towards my car. I wanted to cry, I wanted to run, and I wanted to give him money. I was outraged, I was sad, I was tormented. I could only walk towards my car. I guess my world isn't so bad.
 
Melik is an actor and a
comedian.  He also writes poetry .  He is currently writing about his experience being under 40 and being a stroke survivor.  He may be contacted at 
melik_2001@yahoo.com.


Link: www.tncp.net Articles - Perspective by Melik