I told Michael this morning that the good thing about not working right now is that I get to spend more time with him and Alesia. He grinned. [I was able to take him to his tennis lesson and pick him up this morning. I made him an omelet for breakfast. He loves it.]
He said "But couldn't you go work at McDonald's? Wouldn't that be a good job?"
I tried not to chuckle. "Sweetie, there's nothing wrong with working at McDonald's. There are just two problems I would have. The work in a place like that is very physically tiring. I am not in good shape right now. Second, it doesn't pay that much."
"How much does it pay?" he asked.
"Well, I actually don't know what minimum wage is right now, but something like five or six dollars an hour," I replied.
"That sounds like a lot."
"Well, not when you have a family, sweetie."
I sat down and showed him how much it costs to run this house, our monthly expenses. It's about 4 times what he could make at McDonald's. I think it's valuable to show a child the actual math. I kept it simple - I didn't try to tell him about deductions for insurance, FICA, etc. I didn't even include home insurance, since we don't pay that monthly. I just wanted him to see the numbers.
In the end, I was able to say to him something along these lines: "Michael, I'm not telling you this because I think money is the most important thing in the world. It's not. I just want you to have a decent life. If you don't get a good education, you won't be able to get a good job." I plan to remind him of that next time he balks at doing schoolwork.
I went on to say, and I'm paraphrasing Josh Shipp here, "You should do something you love so much, that you would do it even if you didn't get paid. Then, do it so well, people will want to pay you for it."
We talked a bit about what Mike loves, which includes sports and art. He also is very interested in food and cooking, although I'm not sure if he realizes that could be a career for him. (Perhaps not, given his lack of a hand - I'm just thinking about the fact it takes him longer to do things in a kitchen.)
I hope he will remember that conversation. I think he will.
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I am looking for another job, a bit. I am posting resumes where possible and making inquiries. I am not doing as much as I probably could, at least in the paralegal field, because I am not sure if that's what I want to continue to do. I want to explore different things, while I can.
However, one thing is clear. I need to SELL BOOKS. If you know ANYONE who would be interested in my book, let me know. It's all about MARKETING, something which I know almost nothing about, but I am trying to teach myself.
Similarly, if you are located within a 3 hour drive of Atlanta, I have two thoughts for you. I am happy to give speeches. I like public speaking, weird as that may sound. I can come speak to your book club, garden club, church group, civic organization, etc. I can also come and do a book signing at a local store, or at churches, after the service. Similarly, if you have a blog, or know someone with a "mommy blog" or any other kind of blog that gets a decent number of readers, let me know. I will see if they'd be interested in letting me send them a review copy of the book.
If you know anyone in the media – newspapers,
local radio, magazines, community newspapers or magazines, etc. I would be
happy to do an interview. Put me in touch with your contact and we’ll go from
there.
I am not in dire financial straits, but every little bit helps, even a $15 book.
The photo below illustrates why I need to keep bringing in those dollars. It's my new favorite photo.
