I’d like to introduce you to the “U MOMENT” Can you hear James Earl Jones’s voices saying that? The U Moment (UM) is when something horrible happens to you personally. Like, worst thing to ever happen to you, bad. That propels you in a direction in life that you would never have gone if not for the UM.
Mine was May 20, 2010.
At this time my life was at an all time low. Was about to make a huge mistake and move in with this chick I knew back in the day, and her 3 kids. I hated my job, assistant manager at Pizza Slut. Woo fucking hoo!
One night two gentlemen, Mr. Davis and Mr. Magnum, came in to relieve us of our cash in the safe.
Side note, no those are NOT their real names. I call them that because one had a Davis. 380 and the other had a BFG of the Magnum variety. I have had far too many people ask “how did you know their names”?
Mr Magnum, upon learning of the existence of the Time Lock Safe and my inability to open it at 10pm, told Mr. Davis to “shoot him (me) and see if someone else there would open it” Mr Davis pointed the gun (Davis 380,remember) about 6 inches away from my chest and pulled the trigger.
And it jammed. Just like a Davis 380 is prone to do. The look of confusion on his face was priceless.
Then he split my head open with it. Took the $200 out of the register and balled the fuck out.
I’ll write more stories about this later. The important thing is…..
Two days later, I went to the beach for a week. Called my boss, quit my job. Called a good friend, who was a chef in Annapolis, looking for a job. He had a one day a week position available. I’ll take it! One day a week, became full time, became sous chef, met the woman I would marry a few years later, became The Chef, worked my ass of 60 hours a week, almost broke the 50 grand barrier, bought a house, now Quarantine, out of work and plotting a revolution because I have too much free time. I was voted “Most Likely to Overthrow The Government” in high school. I desperately feel the need to live up to someone’s expectations of me. Might as well be this. Who knows what can happen when you apply yourself.
And all of it would not have been possible without Mr. Davis and Mr. Magnum. My life is infinitely better since that day. Even with all the insanity going on. And speaking of insanity. According to far too many people on the internet, due to the actions of Misters Davis and Magnum, I am supposed to hate every black person in the country. All of them. That is just plain stupid. Do you people hear yourselves when you say shit like this? Or read what you type? That is some juvenile ass shit.
And I won’t do it! Hate in that volume takes a lot of energy. Far more than I feel like devoting to hating people who ain’t done a God damn thing to me. Samuel L. Jackson voice here)
My buddy’s UM sent him to Nashville to write country music. He has talent and had been talking about it for like 15 years. He went and is doing his thing, writing songs for a bunch of artists I have no clue who they are. But he sounds super excited to work with them. So in the Country Music World, they must be some bodies.
These moments are the most obvious points were we can break out of the circle which appears to be a straight line. Depending on how we play it. When shit gets real, keep an open mind to see the opportunity that may present it self.
An added side bonus of experiencing a UM is that it gives you a rock solid perspective. No matter what happens to me in life, I can say “it’s not the worst thing to happen to me”. Not even breaking my knee 4 months later. But it works really well. As long as you believe it.
Got a DUI? Other people feel their life is ruined! Me? Not the worst thing to happen to me. Got fired for doing all the boss’s blow that he left on the office desk while he was taking a shit in the office toilet? No big deal! Lol. But knowing myself and how my life goes. You never know when the Universe will decide to make a liar out of me.
So I gotta make it count.
We the F%#n' People 