Breaking News: Adults need to grow up, too.

There's this proclivity that people have these days to decide they're going to "chase their dreams" that always seems to translate into "quit my job and hope the universe supports me while I do nothing."  This literally bothers the crap out of me.  I mean the actual, literal crap. For reals.  My plumber is less than amused when this topic gets brought up (my wife has suggested he's dis-amused largely because every time he comes to the house I force him to wear blue overalls and a red shirt while working.  It's my money at issue here.  Don't judge me) because it's his job to make sure that the resulting overflow and stoppages and whatnot are dealt with constructively.

My plumber's family the one time I managed to convince them all to visit me.

There are, I'm sure, lots of reasons why this happens.  As usual, though, I blame Kai-Lan.  You see, a few months ago I was watching an episode of Ni Hao, Kai-Lan (editor's note: Markatoa has zero children.  Follow-up: The editor is also Markatoa.) in which the scarily cute pan-Asian menagerie was playing Musical Chairs with our heroine.  During the first round, when the music stopped the Panda lost.  I don't remember his or her name, but I do remember the bitter salt tears that it cried for lack of musical chairs dominance.  Now what happened next?  I know you're wondering.  Because you're still reading this (and shame on you for that.  There's at least one million more entertaining things you could be doing on this very Internet).  Did the other characters say "that's ok, Panda-thing, there will shortly be another round?"  No.  Did they say "maybe you can chose the next game we play and I suggest you choose something you don't suck so hard at?"  Not even close.

They brought in an additional chair and changed the rules of the game so that nobody lost.  Ever.  Turned it from a competition into a "game" of let's wander around in a circle mindlessly for a little bit until the world decides it's done with us and we can finally die in peace.  While that bit of existential terror was displayed pretty nicely I think most of the "intended audience" would fail to see the horror and instead get the message that "everyone wins all the time and if you don't, then the rules need to change.  You're perfect the way you are."  That's a whole lot of BS.  Mind you, I think all of the children are fairly awesome and the sheer unbridled potential they represent is astonishing.  I just fear that potential is wasted when you never encourage someone to excel.

Which brings me back to my original point.  Not well nor in a way that has a logical chain of consequence, but I own every single electron that is on this info-browser-page that you're using to access this so I do what I want.  Perhaps because of overly accommodative parenting, perhaps because society is terrified of offending its own members, a lot of people are expecting to "win" life just by showing up.  People who don't like their jobs so they just quit and assume they'll immediately be given a better job because, why not?  Or because they hate everything about  their work so much more than anyone has ever disliked a job before them and they're going to go and do something that makes a difference in the world.

And that's great for them.  As long as they're prepared for the challenges inherent in that.  Want to join the Peace Corps?  Hope you have a master's degree and are multilingual.  Starting a business you have literally no experience in?  Good luck.  I mean that part.  But be ready for the business plan meetings, the loan denials, location scouting, etc...etc.  Have some savings put aside before you do it.  Because you still have bills to pay, and your creditors couldn't care less about your life-transforming and sudden understanding.  You still have a family that relies on you (and if you don't, a landlord and/or mortgage company that will be less than happy to provide you free housing).  You have a ton of work ahead, and it can be amazing when you succeed.

Just don't expect to be the Panda.  Don't wait for it to happen because you want it to.  Work.  Strive.  Take it like a grown up and take it for all it's worth.