But man - I do like selling cars. I can only hope to be as cool as this guy one day.
I like talking to people - I really do. I like helping 'em find a car they love; not just any car, but the right car. It helps to believe 100% in your product, too. I did manage to get nasty sunburn on my forehead on Saturday, and now I'm peeling like a bananna. They're going to let me wear my cowboy hat tomorrow - we'll see how that works out. It is Texas, after all. Failing that, I might get a golf hat. Or possibly a fedora or a porkpie hat. Personally, I'd like a sombrero, but that may demean the professional appearance a bit. I need to try to maintain it, as I've picked out a car I want already. Unfortunately, it's not in the cards for at least a year, so c'est le vie Sonata 2.0T Limited.
I am learning this - there is a tremendous amount of money in the sales industry, especially in cars. I have to confess that making a bundle sounds pretty good to me. Fortunately, I work for an organization that values integrity and honesty above all else. This was a huge relief to me, man. What's an equal relief was to see them enforce it with extreme prejudice. Apparently, it's a far better financial practice to not lie, cheat and steal. You'd think it would be the opposite with a car dealership, but I was pleseantly surprised to see how much it's the opposite situation entirely.
What's been up the past two weeks? Not much, save a little aggravation from my ex-wife. As tempting as it is to vent here, it'd be bad form, and would accomplsh nothing. I will say this, and take whatever heat I get.
We're going to Disney in July. We're taking our daughter for a few days. I haven't had a real vacation in 9 years that was 100% peaceful for more than 36 hours. Toni had funds in a retirement account from an old job that was growing, well....badly. We opted to use the money to eliminate a lot of debt, and to take a family vacation, as our daughter is only nine once. Sue me for not taking every penny and spending it on debt, but our bills will still be here when we get back, and we'll have great and happy memories that last a lifetime. I regret nothing, nor will I.
No softball - Mother's Day and Easter weekend have taken their toll on Sunday sporting excursions. We have a game on Sunday, though - I'm looking forward to it. I like being able to move with any degree of athleticism again.
I did another cleanse, which always leaves me feeling energized and slightly lighter. Toni and I have been running fairly regularly, and I'm looking and feeling a lot more toned. Unfortunately, they feed us very well at work, especially on Saturday, and it gets hard to stand firm with resolute resolve in the face of Dickey's BBQ, particularly if they are serving mac and cheese with it. Running burns a lot of it off, though. I still have about 20 lbs left to go - I'll post pics when I hit another goal: 197 lbs.
I've started reading again, which has been nice. I need to go to Half-Price Books again and score a new batch of paperbacks. It's been nice having no TV, but Mom finally broke down and got her Verizon FIOS on, as long periods without Fox News and the Hallmark Channel proved to be more strain than she could bear. I don't like having a TV in the house, as I know there's porn on late, and I enjoyed having the temptation completely removed, but you can't always get what you want, especially if it's not your house.
I had to rearrange my counseling sessions a bit to accomodate work; so far it's been the only real inconvenience, other than the minor irritation of having massive chunks of my time torn from my daughter and wife. Car salesmen don't get to spend as much time with their families as they'd like, apparently, at least not starting out. Unfortunately, I kind of need the money that only a sales job seems to offer, and while I've been spoiled with having a surplus of time with my family, I think the time to pay the theorhetical piper has come.
(I can't get the spell-check to work, by the way, so any egregious errors are doublessly being enhanced.)
A few nights ago I had a little meltdown in the car on the way home when I realized how many Saturdays I was going to miss with my daughter. It sucks, man, but I have to be responsible, man up, and do what I have to do. I can chalk some of it up no having missed my anti-depressants for at least two days, but it's a sobering thought nonetheless. Fortunately, the next day was Sunday, and I got I think I got a word from God. I usually do when I go to church, as it tends to work that way.
I've been praying for so long to get a good paying job, and I finally have one - no doubt about that, man. That's totally a God thing, too - I would have never made the decision to do this on my own. I mean, let's face it - who grows up and says "I wanna be a car salesman?"
Nobody, man - I know that. We all know that. Even the car salesmen know it.
But God has a sense of humor, and he las little interest in what *I* think I want; He has far more interest in growing me. And he put it on my heart to really think about why I was doing what I was doing; about why I have a percieved need to make money, and what I'll be doing with it. At the end of the day, it came down to this: all I want is anough to pay my debts, provide for my family, and He can have the rest of it.
Now, I'm still human - I do want my M4 back and a few things for Toni, but I don't want or need a HUGE house, fancy cars, swimmin' pools, movie stars or box seats at Cowboy Stadium. (I'm willing to take some decent seat at a Ranger gane, though.). Truthfully, I'd rather use any overflow of money to give to others in financial need, or spiritual need; to give so that others can have counseling, clean water, food, blankets, and whatever freedom they can find. I think that's a motivation that God can get behind a bit more than greed - at least I hope so.
I'm praying at the start of each day that God will lead me and use me, and guide my steps. It's Step 3 all over again, every day, and I have a lot more pece then I expected about it.
And it's not a question of God getting behind me - don't get me wrong there. More, it's a question I'm trying to ask myself: what would Jesus do with the money, and prayerfully proceed each day and try to do that, as best I can. I hope Jesus would like an M4 and an occassional dinner at Babe's, and if God lives in each and every one of His children, I hope He likes BBQ on Saturdays, 'cause that's what He's getting.
In closing, have some of the glory that is Ma$e. There is nothing edifying, spiritual, or really even redeeming about this, other than it's catchy and fun. It's a trip back to 1998; harkening back to days I was a bouncer at the Groovy Mule, feeling cool. The best comment, for those of you not familiar with YouTube, is this:
I pump this @#$% loud in my car and I impose the 90s upon this misguided world of today
Well said, my brother. Have some 90's hip-hop.
