Break The Mold

If I were to paint a picture of my history, it would mirror a Jackson Pollock painting. To say that it was complicated would be an understatement and wouldn’t do my history justice. Much like a Pollock painting, it was erratic, colorful, and seemingly followed no pattern. I’m not alone in this fact, on the contrary, I think I’m probably part of the norm here. Because life never truly turns out like we expect it to.

From my earliest memories, I can discern that I had a plan for my life. A plan that was similar to so many others. I would work extremely hard, and go to college. The last part was always key. Unlike others my age, I was researching colleges since I was a child. Trying to plan out where I would attend, and what degree I might obtain. For much of my life, it was a Law Degree. A path, which you know by now, that would never be in the cards for me. I knew this was exactly how my life would turn out, I just had to work hard for it.

Just as my young life was reaching its peak, my life took an unexpected turn. High school was a pinnacle moment in every child’s life. It was not only the time to gain mass amounts of knowledge, but a moment in someone’s life when they started to discover who they are. It was the moment the mold of life starts to solidify and your plans start to begin. I, on the other hand, started to see that my plan would never happen as it should. And, just like that, I had to drop out of school to focus on work. Focus on helping my family support themselves. I had to start adulthood years before it should have ever happened. The mold was starting to crack.

The mold, it’s rather interesting. It’s not just the title of a brilliant bit of writing on this website. No, it’s the form that you fit into. It was craft long ago in the fires of society, and built to last. Built to change to fit each individual who went inside. This mold is how we are supposed to live our lives. From a very young age, whether we see it or not, the people in our lives begin to tell us things. They, along with the world at large, begin telling you what your life will look like. They tell you of the wonders of attending college, and the success that will follow it. They tell you of the wonders of marriage, and the joy of children, and expect you to do both. Upon the completion of these three things, you will buy a house, and work your merry life away until it’s time to retire. The bell will toll on sixty five, and you will enjoy the next years of your life. Except, it’s almost over. You have now sacrificed 50 hours a week to a job, a career, a house, and material wealth, all for what? In the end, what does it really mean? What is the point of the mold? And truly, it’s hard for you to argue against it. It’s real. But, we don’t all fit into it. We are told we should, but we don’t.

So, my mold was cracking. At sixteen, I was working a full time job, no high school diploma, and no plan for my future. All of the hours spent planning had now gone to waste. That’s how I spent my next few years, doing just that. Working, waiting for the moment I would die, and it all would end. Until I decided that enough was enough. I would get my life back on track, get back to college, and make the dreams come true. And I did. I got my GED, I went to college, and I began working towards my dream job. Except, nothing was different. I would still just working my life away, waiting for death. Waiting for that moment I would retire and relax until my time came to an end. Even though I got back on track, my mold was about to shatter. Because I never fit the mold. I was never meant to.

For many, they have looked at me sideways. Never truly understanding why changing my entire life, and getting ready to set sail around the world, was what we had chosen to do. Now you don’t need to question why I’m doing it. Because I was never meant to live the life like everyone else, I was meant for something different. Meant to break the mold, and live as I see fit. That’s what makes me happy, and what’s the point of living if it isn’t to be happy? When all is said and done, I want to live a life worth living. A life worth looking back and never regretting a moment. So, I will break the mold, and grind it to dust. What about you, does the mold fit you?

Jake