Here I am,
I'm criss-cross applesauce on the piano bench with the dogs laying in a heap on the floor beside me. However, last night was more substantial. I have this math teacher from China (English is his second language) he is great. I'm terrible at math, but somehow I still felt at ease in the class and that is credited to him. Last night he told us of his personal life for the first half hour of class. His wife passed away leaving him a single father, his baby only months old. He did everything for her, he never missed work so that he could pay off the necessities for her to have a good foundation. He was later laid off his job as an engineer and then went from private tutor to algebra professor. His advice to us lifted me out of my face- in- palm position because this is what he told us:
He first asked us to guess his age- 37? 45? 25? 48? 51? No one got it. Once the question was asked I realized I had never really considered much except that he was fit and looked to be in his mid-forties. He is 53. What came next was the secret to life. He said that nothing else matters if you don't have your health and having your health means no stress allowed. This man, who had lost his wife, was laid off, and had a baby girl to raise was less stressed and more content with himself than anyone in the room I think. "You fail the class? So what, take it again. It's just a grade, it's not worth risking your health. I failed classes in college, but I just took them again." His take on seeking out a high-paying job just for the money? "Will money buy your health? Your friends? Your family? No. Nothing can buy your health for you and that's the most important thing." I was in awe. He was being so honest, saying exactly what I needed someone to say all along, someone to notice that grades are good, they're important, but they're also just a letter and they will not completely ruin any future you have for yourself. Fail? Bummer. Take it again, do better. I'm not condoning failure here, I'm not saying I don't believe in trying, but I've met and seen many people who are on this planet to succeed and to be one step ahead. For what? My dream : don't laugh, is to learn guitar, and get on the road with my brother and play for people. Play small venues, big ones, medium sized ones. Read books, meet people, have fun, get scared, travel far, come back, etc... I don't know what I want, but truth be told, I am constantly stressing about my future, hell, I failed my first math test, but apparently it wasn't the end of the world. I'm good in other ways that can't be proven by an A-F letter scale. And so are you. I found/find his advice to be out of this world refreshing and so unexpected. I care, I do care, but he taught me much more than how to graph a linear equation, he literally taught us all the secret to life. Do what makes you happy because there's little to no stress there. If you make a million dollars, but your hair turned gray in the process and you lost your friends...what will you do? If you spent a week awake to get straight A's, but missed out on meeting new people and experiencing life in its essence, then what do you really have? My religious views concern the essence of life, and that life is different for each individual. Who knows what will happen. No one can tell you. So what are we looking for? I will continue to work and to study, but I will also pay closer attention to the things that make up a life worth living.
-"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"
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