A Cat Named Steve

I guess this guy didn't like the way he looked without a mustache...

I guess you could classify most Sundays as “recovery Sundays”, given the fact that after a long week of work & the usual full Saturday schedule, I need a day to catch up on sleep & act like the introvert I’m not. This Sunday is different – I really only worked a day and a half last week, but I’m still recovering from a sprained/strained back/butt & the hangage of last night.

This past week would be considered a rough week by just about any standards. It started with a 12-hour drive back from Nebraska, where I attended a wedding, and after I got home, I took a 3 hour nap and off I went to a graduation/Memorial day party. The party was a blast – softball, food & sand volleyball. The volleyball game was the straw that broke my back – I couldn’t even walk. After being bedridden for Tuesday, Wednesday, & half of Thursday, I woke up to go to work on Friday morning, only to find that my car had been broken into & a window broken. Last night was the culmination of the week when I DJ’d my buddy Matt’s wedding reception. I think the shining moment of the night was when I played 3 different songs in a span of about 15 seconds by accident. Professional.

As it turns out, 2 other cars on my street had been broken into, and some items stolen. Personally, I had about $4 in change & a Zippo lighter stolen from my car. The thieves left my stereo, a couple of checkbooks, & various other articles that you would have thought they would snatch up, but burglars are dumb nowadays. I would have given them $5 if they had just asked…eh, probably not.

Anyway, after all that it seems like I had a pretty crappy week, but I didn’t. I don’t know why, but I was able to just keep rollin’ along. That’s a good feeling.

This post from Art of Manliness makes a good point about vocations. Not necessarily in the Catholic sense of the word (ie Priesthood or religious life), but just in general. The fact that I can still smile after a week like the last one is a good indicator that I’m on the right track.

What a week.

This is a question that has baffled me for what seems like forever. When my dad was a kid, he knew he wanted to do something in construction, so well, he did it. He’s still doing it. I have friends who grew up wanting to be university professors and doctors and lawyers and even priests, and they’re taking steps toward making their dreams and plans happen.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about where I want my life to be in 5 years, and what it will be like at 31 years old. Will I be married? What kind of profession will I be in? Will I have finally paid off those mountains of debt incurred through my “college experience”?

The truth is, 5 years ago, I had very different plans for my life than the way it’s turned out so far. 5 years ago, I had big dreams of a career as a professional musician. I was in a band that was going somewhere, bandmates with the same long term goals, and the desire and drive to make it all happen. Somewhere along the line, things changed and our priorities shifted. Nearly 3 years ago, one of my worst nightmares came true; I got an office job.

The past 3 years have had their share of ups and downs, but I’ve come to realize that my vocation is within the business world. This vocation is fulfilled through working with people for a common goal to first of all pay the bills, but more importantly, have a positive impact on the world around us. The daily grind of seemingly pointless and often mundane work can breed contempt for the corporate world and those in positions of power. The truth is, all work is a vocation and an extremely important avenue for living out the Catholic faith in a meaningful way.

Circling back to the beginning of my post, I’ve come to the realization that even though I have no idea what I “want” to do career-wise, God has a plan. I think that a large part of God’s plan for me lies in my own realization that I am not Him. In looking back at how nearly every single one of my fantastic plans or ideas on where I want to be has failed, I’ve decided to give up. This doesn’t mean that I’m giving up trying to set goals and certain “checkpoints” for myself, but that I’m giving up on worrying about them and how they affect my future self and situation.

As I said before, I’m doing my best to realize that I am not in control of my own life. I know that God will present me with the opportunities I need to live in accordance with His will, and my job is to take advantage of those opportunities with the skills and desires that make up who I am. Where do I want to be in 5 years? I still have no idea, but I’m not concerned. I’m giving up on planning out my life, and I’m going to let God plan it for me. I just have to do the work.