Cosmic, Schmosmic!

Someone in a newsgroup said I've saved my video tapes over the years for A Reason, and that something Cosmic "gave" me that VCR. That was a mistake! Here's my reply:

You can believe as you choose. But don't interpret my life by your faith.

I carried those tapes, waiting for an opportunity to replace my VCR.

I picked the trash. There wasn't anything cosmic about it.

My life, in my experience, improves when I have the resourcefulness, intelligence, insight and determination to take opportunities as they come.

I got the VCR. In spite of neighbors' nasty looks as I picked trash, in spite of a very limited income.

There were no angels, no fairies, no elves, no leprechauns....I found the VCR, because I was smart enough to go trash picking and dignified enough not to give a rat's patootie what others thought of me for doing it.

I have furnished my entire home by trash picking. I sold trash to pay for my webtv.

I am a practical, pragmatic, resourceful person. No cosmic intervention rescues me in times of crisis or any other time. I work my bloody tail off to keep a roof over my head and maintain a better standard of living than my economic "peers."

My immigrant neighbors in The War Zone called me, "La Rica," the Rich Lady. I had to laugh; they had more income than I, but my life was rich and full and theirs was shallow and superficial. They were in debt to rent-to-own rip offs, auto dealers, etc. so they could LOOK middle class. They squandered small fortunes, every weekend, on beer and drugs. They had pizzas delivered and bought $2.00 burritos on their food stamps.

I drove 2 old clunkers and wore thrown-out shoes and ate home-made pate and truffles, made from the crap the food pantries dole out.

I had Beethoven, Van Gogh and Walt Whitman; they had Brittney Spears, Budwiser signs and National Enquirer.

Now, you CAN make the argument that my intelligence is a gift. I certainly don't believe my intelligence is something I did or achieved; I was born with it. That's why we're called, "gifted:" because nobody can explain where it comes from or why it exists.

But, it could also be a genetic mutation.

I know other, intelligent poor people. We're not poor because we're lazy, stupid or cowardly.

But, for the most part, my quality of life is superior even to my middle class neighbor, next door, right now, who, right this minute is getting as high on cocaine, marijuana and beer as he can on his day off. He lives in a hovel, surrounded by trash and confusion. He earns $30/hr., is physically able bodied, owns 3 cars, has a college degree. But he's more disabled, immobilized and imprisoned by poverty than I'll ever be, because his mind is a mess.

Four days off a week, three vehicles, $300/day take home, and he never goes anywhere or does anything. He gets drunk and high!

I'm sorry. But when "god" or whatever magical force is given credit for MY hard work, I get angry.

There's an old joke, among Lesbians. Black woman gives her partner an orgasm. Partner is screaming, "Oh, God! Oh, Jesus!" The woman thinks: "typical, another White guy, gettin' credit for a colored woman's work!" That's from a poem by Pat Parker.