The Muck and the Mire

I’m really surprised at the number of people

That are willing to try and hold you down

It seems that so many people

Want to put the blame on someone else

For where they are in life

It’s the president’s fault

It’s the economy

The man is keeping me down

It just gets so repetitive

The sad part is

That if you try and crawl up out of

The muck and the mire

There are always those that

Try and reach up

And hold you back

They want you to believe

that it’s just as good where we’re at

They try to convince you that there is no reason

to try and get out of your situation

I’ve seen it on several levels

It’s the same on each level

If someone is a heroin addict

And someone is trying to quit

Their fellow heroin addicts

Don’t want them to get out of the mire

They help to keep them using

An alcoholic

doesn’t want their friend to quit drinking

so they say things to keep them at the same level

I’ve seen it in High School

The “Bad Crowd”

One of the kids gets tired

of being one of the troublemakers

and he tries to break free

his “Friends”

hassle him

and do everything that they can

to keep him in their group

I’ve seen it go as far

as for the group

to threaten the one that wants out

It’s the same

As when we try to get out of our social position

There are people that try and convince you

That you don’t need to move forward

Its fine where we’re at

You don’t need that education

It is very disheartening

That’s one of the reasons that I left Michigan

It was like my family

Just wanted me to stay where I was

They didn’t seem to want to learn anything new

They just spun their wheels

And they were content with it.

Were in a position where

there are quite a few new local businesses

and more are coming

The Federal job growth for July was pretty impressive

yesterday I had someone going on and on

about how it wasn’t getting any better

they insisted that they couldn’t get a job

because there were too many applicants

I’m sure that their inability to get a job

Didn’t have anything to do with their defeatist attitude

Or their victim mentality

Or even their negative cynical outlook on life

I sure as hell wouldn’t have hired them either

What employer is going to hire someone like that

An employer wants someone that will be an asset

Not a liability

We all have an opinion

And mine is mine alone

It may not be right

But here it is

“If a friend, family member or even your spouse

Try to stop you from growing

Make it clear to them

That it is important to you

If they persist in trying to hold you back

Make a clean break

Move up and move on

Find people that think the way that you think

And have the same desires as you do

Find friends that inspire you

And leave the ones that try to discourage you

Behind

You came in to this world alone

You’re going out alone

You’ve made new friends before

You’ll do it again”

To my friends and family

I like having you in my life

But it is hard enough trying to move forward

Without having someone discourage you

I’ve come a long way

I’m going to keep going

I would love to keep you in my life

But I’ll only do it as long

as it doesn’t become an energy draining situation.

I’m only going to defend

my actions and beliefs

for so long

When it gets to the point

It costs more psychologically

to keep you as a friend

then I can handle

I’m going to start limiting contact with you

I don’t care who you are

It’s hard enough to keep pushing forward

Without being discouraged

I just don’t have the energy

to defend my position

and move forward

at the same time