What DO You Want From LIFE?

In 1975, on their debut album, San Francisco-based rockers The Tubes asked one simple question:

“What do you want from life?”

A question most people have an answer for.

“A new job.”

Makes sense.

“To be fifty pounds lighter.”

Me too.

“To be rich.”

Who doesn’t?

“To sleep with that hot guy from the Twilight movie.”

Ok...

But if you really thought about what you want from life, how would you answer?

Would you answer honestly, or MORE honestly, given time to think?

Or, would you answer, “Nothing”?

I’ve been asking this question of myself for a decade.

In that time, I’ve:

Annoyed friends and family with mindless “what do I want from life” rants.

Listened to said song for inspiration.

Worked at a half-dozen jobs.

Had a couple of girlfriends.

Gone back to school in 2006 and got my English degree from Memorial University.

But with a new year upon us, I had to ask myself point blank:

What do YOU want from life?

So I decided it was time to take inventory.

I’m thirty-six years old, I’m unemployed, and I live at home with my folks.

Until I started to do something proactive last November, I was fat (still are, big guy, but keep working on it, you’re not as fat as you used to be), and I was a smoker (good job quitting, by the way. Cold turkey no less).

I’m bald (it’s only hair, keep it cut REAL short and no one will notice the receding hairline.)

I’ve never travelled anywhere (meaning I’ve never been on a plane, and I’ve never left the province of Newfoundland. And no, St. Pierre doesn’t count.)

I’ve been single for the last six years.

I don’t own a car.

My wardrobe consists of ragged jeans, sweats, and rock ‘n’ roll t-shirts. (I FINALLY got my Speak of the Devil ’83 Tour t-shirt.)

I don’t own an iPhone. I do own an iPod. (Yes, What Do You Want from Life is there.)

I don’t own a single CD. I do have every Frank Zappa album ever released. (Even Cruising with Reuben & the Jets? Yup.)

My television isn’t HD. It’s fifteen years old. (It’s only twenty-seven inches. But size isn’t important, right?)

I have a very supportive and loving family. (Thankfully.)

I have great friends. Some who I’ve known for over thirty years. (All of them are insane.)

Quite a list. Some trivial, some important.

Still doesn’t answer the question.

Instead it brings up more questions.

Who decides what life is made up of?

How can I answer the question with “Nothing.”

Let’s take things in order.

Age?

Can’t change that.

Job?

You work forty hours a week at your job. Maybe more.

Jobs are central to our lives.

The problem is so many people have a JOB, when what they’re seeking is a CAREER.

A career is something you do your entire life.

A career can encompass different jobs.

See how that works?

I’ve yet to nail down the JOB that is part of the CAREER I want to pursue.

I want to be a writer.

I’ve yet to find a steady job doing that, thus forcing me to work jobs that I dislike.

Thus delaying me from starting my career.

So I keep looking for a better opportunity.

Living at home?

That will change according to this formula: well-paying job + saving some cash x repairing slightly damaged credit / paying down as much existing debt while living at home = situation not changing any time soon.

Fat?

I’m working on that.

And it’s been hard work.

Since I quit smoking and started working out (over a year ago) I’ve lost about fifty pounds.

And I can breathe again.

Next step: seeing my doctor and improving my diet.

Bald?

That’s why God invented hair clippers, and the buzz-cut.

Travelling?

A similar formula to living at home. This time you replace the square root of y with the divisor of x (y*z)....

I never was good at math.

Money, as is the case with all of life’s problems, would solve that equation.

Not that I have a great desire to travel, but it would be nice to be able to if I wanted to.

Single?

No job and no place of my own are factors in this.

And, quite honestly, I’m not looking.

Sure, there are things I miss, not having a girlfriend.

Sex. Companionship.

Right now I don’t have my life together.

So why drag someone else into that?

Car?

Money. The six cars I owed were money traps.

Used cars break down and become unreliable.

New cars have monthly payments.

Both have insurance and gas.

So I’m thankful that I don’t own car.

Down the road, it will be a necessity.

Wardrobe?

Not a concern.

As long as I’m comfortable, I’m happy.

Gadgets, electronics, and toys?

I’d love to get a new TV.

A Playstation 3 would be nice.

But an iPhone?

Nah.

My cell phone is fine. As is my iPod.

Family and friends?

Essential.

I don’t have very much, but I would have much less without my family and friends.

My folks have been patient and understanding; letting me stay here while I get myself together.

My friends are supportive and encouraging; especially Jason, who has helped me save a ton in gym membership fees.

I’m grateful to have a great network like that behind me.

So, what do I want from life?

To be thirty-six, employed, and living on my own.

With a good job. One I enjoy. Pays well enough. (No, I don’t expect I will enjoy it every day. Rather naive to think that about any job.)

I DO want to lose fifty more pounds.

Maybe to travel. A little. A golf trip. Somewhere warm.

I’m ok with being single.

A new car. No preference as to what kind. As long as it’s reliable.

My wardrobe will stay the same.

A new TV and PS3, so I can join the 21st century.

Already set with family and friends.

Who decides what life is made up of?

Me.

How can I answer “nothing?”

You’ll have to keep reading.