Bouts of depression and jealousy
Filed under Writing Journal on June 23, 2004
I suffered some job-related depression at the start of the week (I’m feeling much better now). I came home for lunch and phoned an old friend who had mentioned he was hiring for his company a month or so back. He didn’t answer, so I left him a message to call me back.
He did and we chatted. Seems he resigned a month ago. He was the art director of a company that designed and produced real estate fliers. He had pointed out some capital needs, but the owner of the company seemed to ignore his suggestions.
My friend is extremely creative and artistic. He writes, sews, and designs. But his true gift is music. He is an incredible musician with a great voice, as well as a budding composer and lyricist. The office politics were really getting to him. So he quit. He took the leap and is now devoting his full attention to his music.
I’m both proud of him and a bit jealous. If I was in the same situation as he was, I’d probably consider a similar move. I’m not, however. It is no longer just my wife and me. I have a son I have to take care of. I need to be able to provide him with adequate medical care, food, and a roof over his head. He needs to have his mother there to watch and care for him. So, I’ll stick with a 9-5 for a while longer. Being able to write full-time will come soon enough.
Until then, I’ll live vicariously through my friend.
