Wanted

Another friend left our company to join the rank of the self-employed. I am saddened and at the same time glad that she finally found the courage to pull the trigger. It helped immensely that she had something waiting for her at the other side of the pond, otherwise she wouldn’t have been so brave.

Her departure left me thinking about two things; the first is about that pivotal moment when one arrives at an irrevocable decision to cut all ties cleanly. How can you really say that you’re ready to let go? Should there always be a safety net just in case the person or the object that we are relying on to catch us won’t be there, or should we just say fuck it, close our eyes, and jump?

The usual answer, one that has reached cliched proportions, is ‘to follow your heart’. It’s a very romantic notion but it sure wouldn’t be of much help when you get hungry. Somehow the words hungry and happy seem out of sync when used in one sentence. Hunger, I think, will always lead to not so happy feelings. I don’t know which is worse, being hungry or being miserable.

It also made me think about the last words said in the movie Wanted starring the luscious Angelina Jolie:

What the fuck are you doing with your life?

Never mind the expletive, it’s there to emphasize a point. The question however, deserves to be answered– what the fuck indeed are you doing with your life? Are you staying with your miserable job because of the fear that you’ll be hungry afterwards?

It takes guts to answer this question truthfully.