12:15.
That's a quarter past midnight.
And that's the time it is, as I finally call "it's a wrap!" on the things I felt I had to get done today. Which means I have reached the point of being able to turn to the things that are "nice to do," like writing blog posts on Hive.
It has been 16 hours since I started, and so I ask myself the question posed by the title of this post: "What's in the tank, at the end of the day?"
All that's really left is my ability to smile wryly to myself and reflect on the fact that I have had far too many days like this in my life.
Memories of the 'Murican Dream...
It's an interesting thing, when you come to the USA from Europe... as I did as a college student, in 1981.
"The American Dream" presents itself as being about the land of opportunity where huge successes can be built. And, indeed, that is true!
What's not part of the "presentation" — or, at least, you never hear about it — is that the US of A is far more of an "all or nothing game" than Europe... and for every great success story that lies at the end of tireless 16-hour workdays... there are maybe 500 stories of nothing lying at the end of 16-hour workdays.
The potential upside in the the Europe I left was far smaller, and part of the allure was being in a place that was big enough that even a fairly "esoteric" idea could still find a market in a country of more than 300 million people.
The whole thing plays far more like a giant lottery than a reward for working hard.
I'm not Complaining, Mind You...
I came to the US quite voluntarily... and the only part of the "travel brochure" that wasn't explained well is the downside risk of the "American Dream;" the part in which those who don't make it as entrepreneurs can end up working hard and long hours... and it doesn't even afford a person a living income.
But "thems is the breaks," as they say.
Meanwhile, back to the topic at hand. I'm grateful for small "gold nuggets" like Hive that allows me to gain a bit extra here and there.
And so, what IS in the tank, at the end of the day... is enough energy to sit down and share a few random musings before bed!
Now it's 12:50, and I'm going to sleep...
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!
How about YOU? How much energy DO you have left over, at the end of your workday? Is there energy for "fun and recreation," or do you just collapse into bed with the expectation of "more of the same" tomorrow? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!*
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Created at 20220406 00:50 PDT
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