I worked with the most hard-up man in the world today. He’s 55 years old. Today was his sixth on the job so far without a paycheck. He’s been selling plasma for bus fare and cigarettes for the last week. Giving plasma makes you more tired—as if all the heavy lifting we do in construction work wasn’t enough. On top of all that, no matter what he makes from this week, $500 is coming right off the top for child support.
Some men would just quit in a situation like this. They might turn to crime–there’s always the potential that it pays a lot more, much faster. Some poor souls afflicted with mental illness might lash out at those they felt caused their problems. Not Roger though. He’s worked with us through the cold, with frozen fingers, and never been anything but calm and grateful.
Whatever choices Roger may have made to get to this point, he’s certainly handling it the right way. He’s a great example to any of us who are struggling financially, or working through obstacles. I wonder what I can do to cultivate the kind of attitude he has. Maybe part of it is that he’s been beat up enough to get used to it. I’m sure though that some part of it is faith. He’s been through enough in the past that he can look to the future and say: “I made it through that, I’ll make it through this.” For those of us who’ve been more fortunate, we can look to the trials of those who’ve gone before us.
Men used to kill wooly mammoths.
Men have killed lions and tigers with stone tools. Men designed and built the pyramids. Men have scrambled to help their communities survive the Black Plague and maintained the will to live.
No matter what you’re going through man, some grandfather or great grandfather of yours has made it through worse. You have it in you to surmount whatever obstacles lie ahead of you, and you have it in you to be joyful through it all.
Namaste
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Photo by Jose Murillo on Unsplash
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