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Carmen Electra, Cary Grant, Charlie Chaplin, Daniel Craig, Drew Carey, Halle Berry, Jim Carrey, Jim Morrison, Tyler Perry, William Shatner
In any discipline, stamina is what most often determines success or failure. Let’s face it, there are a lot of talented, bright people out there. Some more than others, but still, the playing field is full.
Does having stamina, or lacking it really make a difference? Often, the answer is yes. Hollywood is chock full of stories about how stamina saved an unknown from obscurity. Names like Drew Carey, Tyler Perry, Daniel Craig, William Shatner, Halle Berry, Cary Grant, David Letterman, Carmen Electra, Charlie Chaplin, Jim Carrey and my personal idol, Jim Morrison were all homeless at one time. There’s more, but I’ve made my point.
People want my work to get done because it is important. Will it stand the test of time? There are those who know intimately of my works in progress and they say yes. Who am I to argue? Chronic financial strain and my precarious home situation, with homelessness looming AGAIN is taking a toll, however.
Unless you’ve been homeless or destitute, you can’t wrap your mind around the cellular changes that it incurs. It literally takes most of your time and energy just to survive it. If you’re blessed enough to get off the streets, there is a constant fear of landing right back from whence you came.
If you add debilitating pain to the mix, things get dour pretty fast. In the past three months since my three months being homeless, there’s been a lot of scrambling going on trying to hold this tenuous life together.
It’s wearing me down. Do I have the stamina to hang on while the seas of life whip around me in a Perfect Storm? Yes, I do. Just imagine, however, how much more I could accomplish if every day was not a 24-hour struggle for survival. It’s easier to judge someone in my position than it is to toss them a lifeline.
A castaway in the sea was going down for the third time when he caught sight of a passing ship. Gathering his last strength, he waved frantically and called for help. Someone on board peered at him scornfully and shouted back, ‘Get a boat!’
― Daniel Quinn, Beyond Civilization: Humanity’s Next Great Adventure
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
P.S.: Comments are really appreciated, and I respond to everyone.
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