Booze, Women, and Movies

It's almost as if Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley lives in my closet when he inferred that the 0.2 percent of U.S. residents who benefit from repealing the estate tax are more worthy than the poor who spend all of their money on "booze or women or movies." By living in my closet, I mean never interacting with real, ordinary people.

The last two years have been challenging for me. I am 50 years old. This is currently my second bout of unemployment; I have been out of work since June. I no longer have any available savings. I have a recurring health issue that makes me short of breath and tired. I have spent the last six months trying to start a mindfulness facilitation consulting business. I had hoped to teach maybe two or three days a week. Nothing has come from the myriad of phone calls I have made or emails I have sent.


Now, I'm looking for a paying gig. I guess I could work retail. I could go back into teaching. For that, I'll need my transcripts (five schools) which are not free. So far, I've been flatly rejected for two jobs, both retail.

Unlike the poor people that Senator Grassley knows, I spend everyday at home. I rarely leave the house; gas is expensive and I might want to buy a tea. Here's the thing, if a poor person wants to have a beer, who are we to judge? Going to a movie or a concert doesn't make a person morally deficient. It makes them alive. All too often, the poor in the United States are shamed and portrayed as unworthy of compassion or assistance.

I guess I'm lucky because my ex didn't want his son's mother to be homeless. I use his money, but the financial strain is pretty considerable. My shame is immeasurable. Most of my clothes have holes in them. I, however, make sure my son's clothes are presentable and well maintained. I won't be able to deliver baked treats to my friends during this holiday season. I surely won't be purchasing gifts for anyone other than my son.  All of my magazine subscriptions will expire. I cannot afford to give to charity. I worked part of the year as a contract employee and I have no idea how I will pay my FICA contribution in April. This is not what I want. But, go ahead America, keep fooling yourself into thinking that the poor are lazy and immoral.

My Life As an Immigrant

I fully understand that it is expensive to travel.  I am not currently in a position to be able to afford more than a very short road trip - about one day is my financial limit. From what I can tell, about 46 percent of all American citizens have a passport. An American cannot travel to Canada with out a passport, at least not fly into Canada. 

America is considered the most powerful and wealthiest country on the planet and yet a full 54 percent of its citizens cannot currently visit another country. Even worse that that, it looks like only 25 percent of Americans can speak a language other than English. Both of these statistics are bad for a number of reasons.

Travel can allow a person to see the world through different eyes. Someone can see that there are different ways to do things. A different way to prepare a meal.  A different way to consume a meal. A different way to ride public transit.  A different way to handle healthcare or parental leave. Face it, if the only measuring stick you have is the one you have had your whole life, you're not likely to see change as a positive. Same with language. If you have never learned a second language, you have no idea how difficult it can be for people who move to the US from a non-English speaking country.

I majored in French. All through high school, I aced my French classes - all As. I studied French all the time. I continued that academic success in college. The real test was going to be going to Paris for a semester. Emotionally, I wasn't ready for that adventure, but that is a story for another time. For now, let's focus on language and my shiny grades.

Those grades helped, but I was exhausted during my six weeks in Paris.  I spent tons of energy trying to determine if I was using the proper conjugation of verbs. Answering the phone was a nightmare.  I never touched the phone, because I had no visual cues to help guide me through the conversation.

Also, I was now living just outside one of the most famous cities in the world, trying to navigate public transit for the first time in my life (note to parents, please help your child learn how to figure out buses or subways, if possible). I didn't have my bedroom, my bed, my regular food.  Nothing was the same. I chose to be in Paris, but I was homesick.

The summer after my trip to Paris, I studied in Quebec City. Emotionally, I was better prepared.  The language still caused me headaches.  The Quebec accent is vastly different than the Parisian accent, so I didn't understand my professor for about two weeks. This program had a strict "pas d'anglais" (no English) policy. However, when my classmates and I left campus, we spoke English.  Why?  Once again, speaking a language that is not your native tongue is exhausting at first.

I have friends who have lived for a few years in other countries.  They craved to speak English and to eat American food.  Why?  Because those things are familiar and we miss home when we are not there.

Since 2002, I have lived in Canada, just across the river from my hometown area of Detroit.  For most of that time, I worked in the US, so I traveled home on a daily basis.  Just the same, I miss living in the States. I miss familiar places and being physically close to my dearest friends. I still celebrate Thanksgiving in November (along with the Canadian one in October).  I don't drink double-doubles or iced caps from Tim Horton's. I still say 'z' and not zed. I would rather gauge out my own eyes than become a Maple Leafs fan and forsake the Red Wings. But, here I am. I love the healthcare system that saved my life and didn't drive me into bankruptcy.  I'm not afraid of new places and I think the same can be said of the large majority of people who voluntarily leave their nations of origin. It's hard work and I hope that most Americans can recognize that before my home truly becomes Fortress America

Is the Time Right?

Now that the U.S. has elected its first (and I hope last) reality television President, perhaps the publishing world is now ready for my novel. Is that how it works?

My book is about a teacher whose school is the subject of a new reality show.  It doesn't go well and the damage caused is long-lasting.  That probably isn't really shocking to people. Just the same, there are dozens of similar shows on television and each of them have some sort of following.  Many of those watchers even believe that the shows are real, unscripted.

With Donald Trump in office, has the time come for my book to be relevant?  Characters in the book behave cruelly to each other, just like the President has done. The school has to deal with the policies that have been pursued by the current Secretary of Education, when she was a private, wealthy donor, though she isn't mentioned. On a weekly basis, people tune in to follow the drama, as if real people aren't on the screen. People retweet the President's rants and insults, like it's a game.

There is only one way to find out, start sending it out to agents and publishers.