I'll do anything!

I'll Do Anything

There was a period in my life when I was constantly looking for a way to make more money. Not because I was chasing some dream of getting rich, we were $75k in debt, and I wanted to get out of that. I was trying to take care of my family. 

I looked at side hustles. I looked at second jobs. I looked at completely different careers.

I applied to Frito-Lay to work the night shift, stocking shelves and trucks. I looked into junk hauling. I looked into truck driving. I looked into delivering travel trailers.

I earned an OSHA certification because I thought maybe I could get into a safety position.

I applied for safety jobs. I spent countless hours searching for something that might help us get ahead.

Looking back, it probably sounds desperate. Maybe it was.

But there was a reason.

When you are responsible for a family, your pride changes. There are things you won't do when you're only responsible for yourself. When it's your wife and kids depending on you, the list gets a lot shorter.

I learned that lesson from my dad.

When I was younger, I remember seeing him picking up aluminum cans on the side of the road. At the time, I didn't fully understand it. As I got older, I realized exactly what he was doing. He was trying to help his family. He wasn't worried about whether somebody thought it was beneath him. He wasn't worried about what people might say. He was doing what he felt he needed to do.

That memory has stayed with me my entire life.

Because I've always felt the same way.

I am not beneath doing what it takes to take care of my family. If that means working overtime, I'll do it. If that means taking a second job, I'll do it, and I did it. If that means changing careers, I'll do it. If that means stocking shelves at night, hauling junk, driving trucks, or doing something completely different, I'll do it.

For more than fifteen years, I worked two full-time jobs. Not because I loved being busy. Not because I enjoyed being exhausted. I did it because I felt it was my responsibility.

That's what husbands and fathers do.

They carry the load. The funny thing is, today I find myself in a different place. The financial pressure isn't what it once was. The bills aren't stacked as high. The fear isn't what it used to be.

For the first time in a very long time, I don't find myself asking: "What else can I do?"

Instead, I find myself asking: "What do I want to do?"

That's a strange question for a man who has spent most of his life willing to do anything.

But maybe that's what happens when you spend years carrying a burden and finally get a chance to set it down.

You realize you weren't really looking for another job. You were looking for a little breathing room. And maybe, after all these years, you've finally found some.