What a loser! Just like my son! (insert sarcasm here) [Archive]

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catherine

7-31-13, 8:53am

I read this great article in The Onion (http://www.theonion.com/articles/unambitious-loser-with-happy-fulfilling-life-still,33233/), and I thought about my son, who was raised in a New Jersey bedroom community where life was about getting on the 6am bus into NY and working your butt off and then coming home and going to the trendy bar to brag about your stuff and your job title and complain about how busy you are.

DS worked at one of those trendy bars in Hoboken, NJ (which actually is closing its doors today--what a shame--it was a great music venue). And he always had a bit of a chip on his shoulder because he never went to college and the commuters getting off the PATH assumed that he must be working part time to fund a law school career or get through some Ivy League school, but, no, he was a server, he was proud of it, and he was darned good at it. But I always hated how he felt defensive about his livelihood.

So eventually he wound up moving up to Burlington VT, where the vibe is completely different. This is a town where people get a degree at UVM and then they love the slower pace so much they stay and take on a server job and other part time jobs and ignore their MBAs--this syndrome is called "The Burlington Trap."

I was THRILLED when he moved there, knowing he would be with like-minded people, and he is having a happy life--he got promoted and trained as a bartender and he's been getting certificates in beer courses and he loves his coworkers and in his spare time he writes music and plays it at venues in town and he just has a nice life--kind of like the "loser" in this onion story.

Anyway, didn't mean to be long-winded, but I liked this story.

Anyone else know a Loser they'd like to share about? Are you a Loser?

chrisgermany

7-31-13, 9:10am

Thanks for sharing.

It reminded me of the story about the tourist and the local fisherman.
Tourist saw the fisherman sitting at the market and having fun.
He commented: If you work more, you could buy a new boat.
Fisherman: what for?
Tourist: to catch and sell more fish
Fisherman: what for?
Tourist: to buy another boat and employ other fisherman
Fisherman: what for?
Tourist: to build a cannery and earn even more money
Fisherman: What for?
Tourist: To have enough money to have a comfortable life and time enough for your friends
Fisherman: But that is what I am doing already.

catherine

7-31-13, 9:19am

CathyA

7-31-13, 9:39am

Thanks catherine and Chris for the link and the story. LOL! I'm proud to say I'm a Loser!!! .....or at least I'm working at being the best Loser I can be!

Jilly

7-31-13, 10:28am

Yeah. Pretty much.

Zoe Girl

7-31-13, 10:58am

I love it, I know a few people in my family who are like this. Even ones who have moved away but then settled in with the attitude of enough.

There is another article on the Onion about a 'loser' who goes to the movies alone. That one fits me, I don't need to wait for a friend to see something I really want to. Plus in some movies I have to take a break and stand in the hall for really bad scenes (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, loved it but couldn't watch one scene). Yup, perfectly fine lose here

pinkytoe

7-31-13, 11:32am

This reminds me of a book I read recently called The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life. It is written by her older brother, the one who left home, traveled the world, excelled in his profession, etc. When his sister becomes ill with cancer, he goes back home and is overcome with the how supportive and tight the community is and comes to realize that maybe she was the smart one for staying there. Ironically, there is always a thread of tension between the two and he surmises that maybe his sister thought he felt superior for venturing out.

rutter

8-2-13, 5:54pm

just wondering how many of the commuters had a big part in helping create toxic financial instruments that brought on the Great Recession

saguaro

8-6-13, 3:16pm

This reminds me of a friend of DH. He's a bit of an oddball and basically worked for himself cataloging books. He lived at home with his elderly parents. We always wondered how he would fare when his parents died; he never lived or worked anywhere else. Fast forward to his moving out after the parent's deaths. He was always very frugal and decided to move to a small town in WI because the living was cheap. He got a job at the local Walmart, working night shift stocking shelves; it gave him regular income and health insurance. He was really good at the stock work because of his previous organizing and cataloging work. He actually likes it except for the last hour when the store opens and he might be interrupted by customers, but he's been doing it for years and it's worked out fine. He seems to be happy and I consider it to be a success story.

But mention this success story of someone who enjoyed stock work at Walmart and all I hear "but he's working at Walmart!". All they hear is "Walmart"; they don't hear how this worked for him and he's happy.