I recently talked to a fellow entrepreneur who seemed quite stressed out. Despite business going well, being healthy, and otherwise not having any complaints, he felt stressed. Very stressed. I could relate because I tend to feel the same way. Despite being in a very good position - no shitty boss, no looming deadlines, no dreadful finances - I feel stressed. A while back, it dawned on me that stress isn't necessarily the result of any tangible, or even any external, factor. It can be … [Read more...]
All That Glitters is Not Gold
When you are studying to become a teacher, they tell you it's not important that your students like you, but that you teach them something. I found that to be true only when you care more about teaching than feeling good about yourself. Being liked by the people you spend twenty hours with every week is kind of important. Whether that's a good thing or not. So I became one of the cool teachers. Maybe I could have taught them more, but you know what, I don't think it's that important that … [Read more...]
When Only Your Plus One Shows Up
Yesterday, Scott was a '5,673' and today he's a '1'. That was odd I thought to myself. Not that '1's are rare. I see them at the train station every day. Usually, only once though. The second time I see someone, they're a 2. You see, I have a special power. Every time I see someone, a number floating above their head goes up by one. It counts the times I've seen someone. An unexplainable..., well, what? Superpower? Seems a bit laughable for that. I'm not sure what to call it. It started … [Read more...]
A Hardened Hero
"Do you know how to turn a fruit into a vegetable?" a spandex-clad superhero screamed at a whimpering figure on the floor of the men's bathroom. A smile seeped onto the superhero's face. It made the figure on the floor try to turtle up even more, trying to pull his own wizard cloak even closer around him. As if it would offer protection against what was to come. The wizard knew what was coming. It wasn't the first time. "With a fist, you fucking faggot!" Superhero tried to punctuate his … [Read more...]
The Bike Runner
The following is based on a true story. Names were changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike. Gavin and Stephen were browsing the sweets selection at the newspaper agent. I didn't do any browsing of my own. I didn't have any money. Not that I was poor. I just didn't have any money. I felt uncomfortable waiting for them to make a decision. Last time I 'browsed', the proprietor asked me if I was going to buy anything. My English at the time was rudimentary at best. I struggled for the … [Read more...]
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