As I ramble on through the woods of my inspire-ers I can't help but notice an old schooler that always put a smile on my face, Charles Dickens. I remember the first book of his I ever bought. It was one of those collections that have four books in one bound in a fancy hardcover. I didn't have a car at the time and needed to be picked up from the book store. It was night and had been snowing, it was very cold, but I don't recall the cold because I sat down and started reading while I waited. I was a fourth of the way through The Christmas Story when my ride came, they were mad at me because I didn't wait inside where it was warmer. I told them I wanted to read this classic that I have always wanted to read, and didn't want to miss them, so I sat outside to do both. Not my most interesting story...but... there you go.
My favorite Dickens book is Great Expectation. There are so many reasons I love this book; one reason would be that I identified with it. I had worked so hard in my life since I was 12, and had dreams of having such a benefactor as Pip had.
In the end Pip had no common sense and put himself in considerable debt and was at risk of going to jail. It was his humble hard working brother in law who had saved him. Pip repents and goes to work himself and endeavors to not wait for expected richs or favors again. This of course was my early reasons for loving the story, but as I dug deeper I found that the convict did the same thing, because as we all know The expected wealth was coming from him. He was so grateful that Pip had saved him (even if it was on the threat of death) that after he was exiled to the Americas had went to work and became wealthy. Do we all see a theme here?
I like to look at my life and those lives around me to see were a great expectation has ruined us or at least went badly, and I see it everywhere. Mom was suppose to help out with the cell phone bill but hasn't yet... I'm gonna get a new car when I graduate... my Boss says if I work hard I might get a raise... the list goes on and on.
Not long ago My wife became sick and our car broke down. A friend of ours moved in and said she was going to help us financially and help nurse my wife to health. Nether promise was fulfilled and as a result I let some bill's go, (at least the ones she said she would help us with) she put two of them in her name, racked up a bill and after the services were disconnected I needed to pay all her bills to turn them back to my name. She also demanded help with her situations rather than her helping my wife to health. The offered help was certainly a great expectation, yet as I have learned the hard way that when you place yourselves into the hands of others than you are subject to the times and seasons and whims of uncertainty. I hate uncertainty and to me expectations and uncertainty are the same words. Nothing replaces just doing yourself and working hard then waiting for someone to do it for you. And that is what this book has meant to me.
Funny story; whilst reading his book's my vocabulary changed and nobody on the construction sites understood A thing I was saying, in fact one guy said "Can you please talk to me like i'm and idiot!"
Thanks Charles.
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