So what's my Dream Job?

In the past, the best job I ever had was also the worst paying job I ever had. I worked at the San Bernardino County Medical Center's ER. My official job was Hospital Security, but generally that was the last thing I did. Every Friday and Sat. night, the "after effects" of the San Bernardino County Youth, Knife and Gun Club would start rolling in by ambulance and helicopter. Gang activity was very high and the body count was too. I eventually had to quit that job. Earning about $800.00 a month and having a small family to support did not mix well.

When I was a kid, I did not dream of becoming a Policeman (although I was one later in life) or a Fireman or any of the other typical titles little boys wish for. I wanted to be an ambulance driver. I had no idea what a Paramedic was back in the day. I doubt the word paramedic even existed back in the 60's.

Perhaps a pattern is developing here...

• Worked in a Hospital ER
• Worked in a Cardiology Clinic
• Dreamed of being a Paramedic as a kid
• Worked as a Police Officer for 3 years, the job is more like a protector and less like one who arrests bad guys.
• Worked in mental health facilities

Many times when I was working at the ER, the police would bring in the "5150's". 5150 is the California Health and Safety Code for a person that is a danger to themselves or the public. There is no such thing as "attempted suicide". My experience tells me that anyone who "attempts" suicide, never had any plans for killing themselves, they were just crying out for help and this was their was of getting it. When I was a cop, I had a good friend in the department kill himself over a girl. At the young age of 21, his girlfriend of 4 years ended it. He sat at his grandmother's kitchen table, pointed his nine-millimeter at his chest and pulled the trigger. The Deputies that were dispatched to his house told me, that he did not die right away. As soon as he pulled the trigger and understood fully that he was not dead, but rapidly on his way out, he called 911 looking for someone to save his life. It was too late. A waste of a life. It hurt to go to his funeral and see this kid in the casket, dressed in his uniform, holding a rose above his chest. Many times when the 5150's were dropped off in my ER, I was the only one they could talk to. The doctors and nurses were too busy to bother with a 5150 anyway. I really want to believe that many of the people I spoke with, turned out just fine later in life. All they needed was to hear a caring and compassionate voice.

One day my law enforcement career ended and I was looking for a new career. I was tired of working nights, weekends and holidays anyway. It sucked to be on the job on Christmas Day. Everyone was home with their families, even the bad guys and I was stuck in a patrol car with nothing to do.

I started to look into the idea of being a Medical Missionary. I had plenty of basic training and I always knew my skills would be very valuable in the Third World. When I was a young father, we sponsored a little girl from Columbia, through World Vision. Luz Amporo was about 5 years old when we sponsored her. We sent the check into World Vision every month till we got the letter that said she was a young lady and doing fine. Our help was no longer needed she thanked us for helping her to have a better life.

It was 1992 when I looked into being a Medical Missionary. Every organization I contacted was happy to have me go abroad…as long as I had people here in the USA who could sponsor me! They would not sponsor me. I thought the money they collected each month from donations was supposed to go to supporting someone like me, working in the mission field. That never did happen. I needed people to collectively pay for my travel expenses and health insurance for my own treatment if I got sick or injured in another country. Everyone I talked to about this thought it was a great idea, but their actions never did speak louder than their words.

As you may know from my profile, that I am trying to follow Saint Francis’ life of simplicity, living one day at a time. He made it a point to own nothing. Sorry about that Francis, I can’t go that far! I have to own a few things.

It was well known that Francis had dedicated his life to the poor. What many of you may not know was that Francis’ father was a very well to do cloth merchant in his city of Assisi. Francis grew up well dressed and well fed. There was the Ruling Class, the Wealthy Business Class and Common People.

I believe the key to Francis’ success with helping the poor was the fact that he continued to maintain his relationships with his wealthy friends! Francis had no problem going to his friends and asking for money to buy the materials to build a Church or a Shelter or a home. If the lepers needed food, Francis would ask his friends for food or money to feed the lepers. They gave freely, knowing that Francis would not keep a penny for himself. This leads me to the present day when I hear that CEO’s and Board Members of Non Profit Organizations that are dedicated to Social Justice, are earning massive salaries, driving fancy cars and living in huge homes. It pains me to know that if I give a $10.00 donation to an NPO like this, $8-9 dollars of my donation is earmarked for executive salaries and operational overhead. There is something very wrong with this picture!

So what is my Dream Job? to help those less fortunate throughout the world. In the goals section of my profile, I wrote much about my experience in Honduras. The worst possible poverty you can think of in this country is far better than what 90% of the population of Honduras experiences on a daily basis and it will never change unless those that are blessed, share those blessings with others.

I will gladly follow in the footsteps of Saint Francis and build shelters and dig water wells and install solar panels, if you can take on the role of benefactor and fund the purchase of food and materials to make a difference in this world of ours.

If you help one person, if you visit one inmate, or adopt an elderly person who has no one, if you extend kindness to those who know only what it’s like to be despised, you have done great a thing.

 Namaste

"Ask and it is Given"
"Learning to Manifest Your Desires"
Ester & Jerry Hicks

It's a good read. I would have to ask myself and / or the authors if this principle taught in the book (The Law of Attraction) works in the Third World. You would think they would have no problem attracting clean water and peace and a fair and just government.

That's where the real testing ground is.

Jo Davidson wrote her commentary of the DVD, "The Secret" and I wrote her back with my thoughts. I'm posting my reply below. It seems more people should consider a balanced view.

Good Day Jo

Hope your day is going well. Thanks for posting your comments. I sat down with my coffee and read your blog. I'll have to read it again too!

If you don't already have a soul mate, can I fill out an application?

Last week I picked up “Ask and it is Given”. I'm about 1/4 of the way through it. Off on the shelf I can see my copy of “Everyday Greatness” another classic, full of wonderful stories of just common folks doing great things that will never grace the headlines of any newspaper.

Your commenets reminded me of my days back in the 1980's when I was teaching a Bible School class. Our text book was called “The Wall Street Gospel”. The “Positive Confession” movement was very popular back then. Preachers would tell us that as a Christian you are a “King's Kid” and what child of the King goes poor or hungry? If you are a King's Kid you should be healthy and wealthy and have lots of fine possessions. My job was to bring balance to that current fad. We were taught that if you are sick or poor, it was a direct result of your “negative confession” and you brought this all on yourself. I Positivily Confessesed the restoration of my hair and my perfect skin complexion (I had a bad case of acne all through my teens) and all my confessions, did not bring back my hair or clear my skin.

I reminded my students ( me a 21 year old “teacher”) that the Wall Street Gospel does not seem to be working in Africa or Central America or India or anywhere else where poverty is the norm.

Last year I “intended” to earn $120,000.00. My business partner must have “intended” to screw me and his “intention” was greater than mine. I “intended” to make tons of money from the software I spent 2 years developing. My CEO “intended” to steal it from me.

I can so much relate to what you wrote. Thank you for all your efforts in sharing them.

Life is good, even if I drive an old car and have no health insurance and my home is basic and comfortable. I live one day at a time. My lifestyle is very simple.

I once had a house and a nice car and I needed the biggest truck U-Haul had when it was time to move. Saint Francis said it best when he used to speak of how you can become possessed by possessions. Those with great possessions have to defend them against theives and robbers. No one is going to steal my car. It's not worth the effort.

Suffering and illness is not what anyone would want. It's just a fact of life. I grew up Catholic, but I'm not much of a Sunday go to Mass kind of a person anymore. Everytime the collection basket comes by and people toss in their money, I remind myself of the 100 million dollar judgment the diocese is paying out because of the child molesting priests that are/were on staff. On the other hand, there are plenty of “Saints” who became such as a result of their nearly life long suffering from countless illnesses. Francis included.

I'll finish reading the Hicks' book and I'll likely watch The Secret someday. I saw some of it on Google Video, enough to know it's all rehashed, repackaged stuff that goes back to the days of “Think and Grow Rich”.

My next door neighbor has cancer and she has little time left. Her husband just told me last week that he now has prostate cancer. I suppose they “intended” this upon themselves.

Thanks again Jo.

Love ya mucho
Jeff

There was time when a daily walk was a regular part of my day. I lost weight, slept better and had more energy. It's been too long since I simply walked for the pleasure if it.

There are too many distractions out there.

My son is eight years old at the moment. He's asking lots of questions and I am doing my best to answer them in a way an eight year old can understand.

Last night he was playing with a lazer pointer and when he pointed the beam at my monitor, it was absorbed, no little red dot was seen till he moved the beam off the glass, onto the plastic frame of the monitor case. An LCD display on a sewing machine also absorbed the beam. This is not something I expected to see happen and I could not begin to explain it. Many times I see just how much my son needs me.

For me a meaningful life is a life in service to others. I have written before about my willingness to serve in the battle against poverty. I technically live in poverty too, according to our government standards, so I can't send myself to Central America to drill a water well, or install a solar array to provide electricity to a small village. The need is great.

10 Million would be great. One dream I have would require a lot less.

There is an Island of the coast of Honduras. Roatan is surrounded by the world's second largest coral reef. I would buy some beachfront property (It's very affordable) and then build a small resort. It would be a prime destination for sport fishing, scuba diving and relaxation. It would have party rooms and medidation / yoga rooms. I would build small, one person, chambers where you enter and enjoy the sounds of slience, or take a Hemi Sync style, guided meditation, laying on a temprature nutrual water mattress, in total darkness. <personal note, I have sometimes put on a sleep mask and streached out in a dark room and then used a guided meditation recording and a short time later, my minds eye would open and I could "see" clearly, even though I'm in as much darkness as I can create. Perhaps this is what remote viewing is all about?>

I would provide first class treatment for my guests. They would come from all over the world and pay well for their experience at the resort.

Now for the best part...

I would take the profits earned from this resort and turn them back to the mainland of Honduras. With the profits I would:

• Drill water wells so people can actually drink fresh water
• Install solar arrays, so people can have light after dark
• Build a school and keep kids in it and out of the work force. Kids in Honduras get a 6th grade, sub standard education and that's it.
  
• I would create mico and macro businesses, where the locals can contribute to the resort, things like fresh fruits and veggies, coffee beans, hand made bedspreads the guests could take home with them and more.
• Fund the start up of small businesses on the mainland
• Sponsor a kids education.
• Open Trade Schools so kids can learn valuable skills. Honduras has very firtile soil and plenty of timber. Farming and carpentry could be taught.
• The list is endless.

That's what I would do. I once saw a waterfrount B&B for sale that could host 8-10 guests. It was priced at $110,000.00.

Anybody got 10 million dollars they don't know what to do with?