Mick Lied

 I have never been this old before. At the time of this writing I am 44 years and 11 months old. Closer to the end than the beginning. I’m five years and one month away from retirement from my “straight” job. The job that has funded my endless summer of a life. It has given me the stability to be able to do the things I wanted to do, and kept me eating when I fucked myself up doing those things. And I did that many, many times. It has not always been convenient with shitty shifts and shitty days off and shitty coworkers; but even at its worst it’s been way better and easier than bad. Soon though it will all be over. I will be able to maybe open up a second jiu jitsu school and work with the two charities I champion a lot more. Maybe I’ll even start another one: taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to extremely impoverished areas around the country: Johnny Appleseed Jiu Jitsu.
Plans within plans. That’s how I’ve always been. Never am I not planning the next thing. Yes, I spread myself too thin. Yes, I go 1,000,000 miles an hour or I’m at a dead stop. It’s how I’ve always been good or bad. I’m not sitting here trying to stroke my own lariat. The way I live is definitely not for everyone, but there are those who don’t go 10 miles an hour. As I plot and scheme my escape from an 80-90 hour work week to something more around 50, I’m astonished by those in similar situations planning their escape from 40 hours to something like a -10. From these guys I’ve heard things like: “I need to pick up a hobby I can do when I retire”. To which I reply: "You are almost motherfucking 50 years old. How do you not have one yet?" There’s also: “I’m really going to get in great shape when I retire.” Because 50 is exactly when you should first start worrying about being morbidly obese and eating out of a box or bag or the freezer section for every fucking meal.
Now before you cut my throat, I know that people can change and it ain’t over til it’s over, but goddamnit, the years that are gone are ALREADY OVER!!! That’s my point. So many of these poor dumb bastards only know being a worker drone. Work, marry, breed, raise kids, pay taxes, die five minutes after they retire. They have pursued nothing. They have gained no knowledge. They haven’t grown as a person in decades. Wash/Rinse/Repeat.
​Now don’t get me wrong, not everyone has to be a fucking wild man with his hair on fire, but you do need to have some sort of passion; an outlet, something that is yours just for you. And don’t give me that “I’ve got kids” bullshit. I know plenty of badasses who are single parents and kill it, not only in raising their kids but at some other venue besides their job. I have met so many weakass men who hide behind their kids like ISIS hiding behind a human shield. It’s pathetic, especially given what these “men” do for a living. They blame a lack time but it’s really a lack of will. 
I see men squabble about the money they will make at 60, 65, 70 and 72. Who the fuck is excited about anything having to do with being 72? They salivate talking of cost-of-living raises and compounding interest. They are so caught up in the dollars, they can’t even recognize that they will be long dead before that money will ever grease their palms. I understand wanting to plan for the future but you’ll most likely be able to do more at ages 50 to 60 than 70 to 80; so, yeah, you should save some for the grandkids and all that but you should also be living right now in every way you can that makes you happy.
My maternal grandmother lived in squalor most of her life and saved and saved and saved. She did everything from pick cotton to clean motel rooms. When she got too old to care for herself, my family went four states away to get her and bring her closer to home. It took several 4 to 5 day trips to clean out her house. She was not only a hoarder, but rat holed money everywhere she could. Every single fucking article of clothing, jar, envelope, box, had to be gone through. We found almost $20,000 in 10’s, 20’s, and 100’s. When it was all said and done, they found a home for her just a couple blocks from my mother’s house. My grandmother paid $150,000 in cash for her brand new home. She had denied herself her whole life. Less than a year later she was dead from cancer. Good thing she saved her money like a troll and lived like a car bum her whole life. Sure she left a decent inheritance for my mother and uncle but dollars to years unlived, was it worth it? Money is great, security is great, but when that’s all you worry about and becomes what you’re fixated upon it’s like a maximum-security prison.
​Life is about experiences not your goddamn bank account. I’m sorry guys, but Mick lied. Time is not on our side. In fact, the clock is ticking for us right now and we’ll never know just when it’s going to stop. I’d like to say you’ll regret it, but you won’t. You won’t do anything because it’ll be too late. The clock is ticking. You should be moving...