Mopey Little Man

"What I want," sulked The Teen after his mother cut his hair short, "is to get out of that school and get my [mohawk] back." His mother made it clear that his abysmal grades, due entirely to choosing not to do much of his assigned homework, have preempted his going to a barber for regular mohawk maintenance. She will spend the money on herself, instead.

I don't yet know if he will graduate with his eighth grade class next month. He turned in a (very, very late) science report rather than the required project, and his science teacher did not appreciate the lack of content/effort that went into it. I hope they do not pass him, if only to drive home the lesson that one cannot get far in life by not doing what is required. I'd rather see him repeat eighth grade there with this year's seventh graders--a humiliation he hopes to avoid--than get away with defiant laziness. He has the potential to grow into a belligerent man with no respect for authority, if this behavior is allowed to continue. As it is, he sulks home after school every day with A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E. oozing out of every pore of his body just because the world has failed to bow down and allow his continued laziness. My palms itch to go a-slappin' whenever I get near him, so I mostly keep my distance, wait, and see.

----------------
Now playing: Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra - Stealin' Apples
http://foxytunes.com/artist/fletcher+henderson+and+his+orchestra/track/stealin+apples.

Looking Up Eighth Avenue

Taken from the M42 cross-town bus.
22 May 2009

Doing Work vs. Helping Others

When I call prospective clients, I mention their financial situation and say, "I was calling to see if there was anything we can do to assist you." I have had a few experiences already where people have responded favorably, even passionately to my offer for help. Most people want to pay off their credit card debt and/or save their homes from foreclosure, and they are grateful when someone calls to help, rather than to threaten them in an attempt to get payments from them. Every time I hear the gratitude in their voices, I am grateful to be in a position to connect them with our certified debt arbitrators and attorneys, who are more than happy to see what program best meets their needs.

Like anyone, I want to make a decent living for myself and my loved ones. But if I can make a living helping others, my work is more worthwhile.