Coulda, woulda, shoulda--yeah, I could have done lots of things in life. But I did what I did and that was pretty cool for the most part. Still, it's fun to think about what might have been--or what I'm glad wasn't.
I could very possibly have been a carnie, traveling the country conning customers with shyster games, operating carnival rides, or working in a tent show of some kind. Actually, I have on a couple of past occasions worked in a carnival show for short stints. Not a lifestyle I'd probably have wanted to continue for any long period of time, but it was fun to do it for those short whiles when I was younger. During my college years I also worked at a carnival supply company where I encountered many carnies. Sure, they get a bad rap (sometimes deservedly so), but most of the carnies with whom I dealt were okay people. Most worked hard during warm weather months and some of them spent winters in Florida or some other warmer clime. Seems like it could be an interesting life, but the life of the carny is not really my thing.
Since I was a kid I've kind of enjoyed cooking, so I guess the career of cook or chef could have been one I might have pursued. From all I've heard, restaurant work can be pretty stressful and things can get hot in the kitchen. Cooking as a career choice might have gotten old fast. I do enough cooking these days since I'm the cook in our household. When my kids were growing up I usually cooked for them. Now they are gone and I just cook for my wife and I. That's enough cooking for me.
Over the years I have worked both as a store clerk and a customer service representative. Those were okay jobs, but I can't say I would have wanted a life career doing either. Same with construction worker: That was a job for the younger me and I wouldn't have wanted to do that my entire working life. Though it's all commendable work. There are just other things I'd rather do.
Sometimes we just take jobs because they are there and we need them.
Have you done any of these jobs? What do you think of work that involves constant travel? What is your favorite food to cook?
The Insecure Writer's Support Group
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog.
The co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia
April 3 question - How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?
I've been blogging almost as long as I've been doing
Blogging from A to Z April Challenge--15 years! When I first started in September of 2009 I was
transitioning from a career that had basically ended primarily because of the internet and into a life where I was exploring the possibilities of income derived from the internet.
The first few years were challenging and exciting. The blogging world was so new and unique to me. At last I had a way to fulfill my writing aspirations without going through the traditional channels of the past. Now I could set up my own platform, write whatever I felt like writing, and just publish it for anyone to access. That was what I liked. However eventually I found the computer life interfering with my real world life. In recent years, my enthusiasm for blogging has waned to some degree and certain other issues with computer and personal time have decreased my online time.
Over my years of blogging I don't know that blogging itself has changed as much as the attitudes of individual bloggers have changed such as my own has. I've seen bloggers come and go and the ones I continue to follow seem to be carrying on as they have. And there are those who now blog in a similar way to which I do.
For now, I continue to keep blogging since I do understand the potential in it. Maybe my blogging will increase again as I find more personal purpose to it. Or maybe I'll just continue doing what I've been doing. I don't think I'll ever stop posting on my blog anytime soon, but for now I've got no great blogging impetus propelling me forward. If that comes, then maybe I'll be on fire for blogging again. For now I'll just tend to the embers of creativity until it's time to fan the flames.
What do you find to be the most useful aspect of blogging? Has your blogging activity ever interfered with your life? Do you now blog more or less than you used to?