This is the story of what it was like to grow up poor, the story of why I am an optimist despite all the shit life has thrown at me, and the story of why I believe that steem changed my life and will continue to change lives!
That was quite the run-on, hopefully my editing will fix the next couple of mega paragraphs _! So without further ado, here is the latest long form essay that started as an internal thought line inspired during conversations with @theprophet0, @sykochica, @canadian-coconut, and @ausbitbank
So earlier I released the gif of me taking my old phone and smashing it, and I must say destroying something that could be used is really uncharacteristic of me. And I will explain why: when you're poor you kind of have to learn how to use EVERYTHING you can to the best of your abilities, I.E, you have to be immensely self sufficient! My house has a lot of odd shit in it, some things, well a little more than some things I guess, are jerry rigged together in the most haphazard yet brilliant of ways. Combine that with my parents love of recycling and we produce very little waste, excess is never really a problem for us, you use what you can, and move on.
I know what you must be thinking; "Kara you're talking about being poor with such positive energy, wtf!? What gives?!?" And to that person I say, keep reading, it's rude to write a comment before you've fully read a post!
In any case, yea if you want the TLDR; being poor sucks, there's a reason people don't aspire to be poor.... unless you're insane or something, but hey I'm not judging. But it doesn't ALL suck, because you can gain a lot of insight about life!
For me growing up poor was both a gift and a curse, but let's get the bad stuff out of the way first! When you're younger you want a lot of stuff, and there is nothing more painful for a parent than not being able to meet their children's needs. When I was younger, we didn't go to movies, or concerts because if we did, it could mean that we didn't eat that night or that my dad could lose his job because he wasn't able to put in late hours. There was one time when I was 5 and we went to an aquarium on a special trip, I saw a lot of the other parents and children around me buying all sorts of food, treats and souvenirs. Being the impressionable child I was, I followed these kids lead and decided I wanted to buy a snow globe that had a rainbow fish in it, and my dad had to quietly explain that we couldn't afford that. It is obvious to me now that he felt embarrassed that he couldn't splurge on me like the other parents. Though even when I was young I understood and could sense his pain, but I was still upset myself because, well selfish little child and all.
I'll be honest, not being able to do all the fun stuff a lot of people do, and not being able to purchase souvenirs and gifts is not easy to twist with some sugar coating. But because of this, I was given the gift of working with very little, I didn't have many toys, so books and the outside world became my playgrounds. To this day I still take daily runs and walks across our little homestead and the forests around us! I mean granted, now that I have a good phone that can process steemit and youtube, I've been doing a lot more things online. But I'll never choose to leave my natural habitat, I'm definitely not a city girl. So, sorry NY and LA, you'll have to find someone else to overcrowd your land with. Jabs at cities aside, I did say I was gonna explain why I can stay optimistic about life even when life has given my family a couple truckloads of lemons.
I stay optimistic because I know that the universe rewards people who do not give up and do not let the crushing weight of failure or poor circumstances crush them. @papa-pepper is a great example of someone who didn't let his circumstances crush him. So recently, my dad got promoted and we got to go to a movie and eat at a restaurant, you know everyday stuff, but for us it was a sign that times were improving. My dad worked his ass off every day for years, got his ass handed to him during the 2008 recession, and now he's being rewarded, because again, HE DIDN'T GIVE UP! There's a lot of renewed energy in our household, and I think that is because all our lives are looking up. I mean heck, steem has totally shifted my outlook and general direction. I honestly thought I was going to work at a fast food restaurant flipping burgers until the day I died. Yet here I am, writing and painting on a blog that over 200 people (and counting) will read!! I get to do what I love and I thank my upbringing for giving me the tenacity and resourcefulness to do the things I do. If I was given everything, I wouldn't seek anything out, and if I didn't seek anything out I wouldn't have met all the wonderful people here on steemit!
To risk repeating myself into the grave. I want to hammer home two things before I conclude: firstly, nothing is impossible or set in stone even if you are totally convinced it is, and secondly, NEVER GIVE IN to your bitterness, jealously, hate or depression! Everyone has the potential inside of them to kick some serious ass and succeed!
And that is why I have been trying my best to spread Steemit around as much as possible, because in my mind, the crypto world and the blockchain are the key to fighting back against poverty. I don't personally believe in handouts, though I do not begrudge people who take them, I believe in the success that comes from trying and fighting back against the shit that is thrown at you!
Thank you steemit and be blessed!
