FREEDOM LIFESTYLE — #ILLUMINATION
I Am a Bum, Maybe Not the Kind You Think
An illuminating lesson I learned about the power of words by writing consistently.
We were discussing dreams, goals, and aspirations.
My friend Terry asked me, “If you could be anything or anyone, who would you be?”
I replied, “I’d be a bum.”
He said, “No, seriously, anything you want.”
I told him that I was serious.
And I meant it.
But, for the past twelve years, I’ve been unable to define what I meant when I said that clearly. The reason? Words are inadequate to convey feelings, and people have preconceived notions of what they mean, present company included.
Over the years, I’ve racked my brain trying to explain my answer whenever I shared the story in my speeches or writing because I never took the time to search within to understand what I meant by it precisely.
At first, I tried to justify that what I meant was I wanted to be a hobo, a synonym. A hobo was a vagabond, someone who hopped trains in boxed cars and provided some service, usually handyman work, in exchange for food.
So, I became a nomad and started a blog. Back in those days, digital nomads were the rage. Tim Ferris’s The 4-Hour Work Week was all the craze about online marketing, automating passive income, and traveling the world.
I was living the dream if you were to believe Holly Jahangiri. But I wasn’t.
I wasn’t a bum.
Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed the better part of the past twelve years doing what I love. I was living carefree, more or less, traveling around the country, spending time in nature, and carrying out crazy ideas.
However, I wasn’t living the dream contrary to what my Facebook status claimed, and what I had other people believing.
I wasn’t a bum.
What or who is a bum?
The mere question begs for a definition, a preconceived, agreed-upon notion. What does one do, or not do, to qualify as a bum?
Collins (online) dictionary defines bum as follows:
A bum is a person who has no permanent home or job and who gets money by working occasionally or by asking people for money.
If someone refers to another person as a bum, they think that person is worthless or irresponsible.
Those are not desirable qualities in society. Yet, there was something about a bum that instinctively appealed to me. I wasn’t able to verbalize it.
I’ve always believed that everyone serves a purpose in society by being who they are. A friend, who wasn’t sold on the idea once asked, “How does a bum contribute to society?”
“By providing an opportunity for others to practice generosity,” I said.
“That’s a stretch,” she said.
Is it, really?
I woke up with an epiphany this morning.
For the past 30 days, I have been living like a bum, so to speak. I haven’t worked, neither have I cared about working, or finding a way to create income while I am hunkered down. I am not concerned or worried about what would happen if I ran out of what little funds I have before we get back to the usual grind of work and pay bills. I don’t believe that we will ever go back to the way things were. Something has shifted in the collective consciousness. While it may not have reached the tipping point to bring about massive changes, it is happening, but I digress.
For the past 30 days, I have lived the life I envisioned when I told Terry that my why was to be a bum.
I know now what I meant when I said, “I want to be a bum.”
I craved the freedom to be carefree about what tomorrow may bring. I longed for the ability to live in the present moment, fully knowing that God has blessed me with the capability to do so without being a burden on others.
I had to first clearly understand the difference between how society sees a bum, the pre-defined and preconceived notion of what the word means, and my unconscious interpretation of what a bum is before I could verbalize it.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Sometimes words don’t do justice to the feelings you have. They are inadequate to define your emotions because there have preconceived notions attached to them.
I have been writing consistently for the past month or so. I’ve published 50 stories on Medium, in addition to all the other scribblings I have done via comments, responses, and journaling.
All this work with words has expanded my ability to think clearly to define ideas and to communicate them effectively. Somewhere in the middle of the night, while my conscious mind was resting, it made a connection between my notion of an ideal life and my use of word bum.
Upon awakening this morning, I was inspired to open a new story on my Medium app to start dictating my thoughts in free-flowing words, verbal Morning Pages if you will. You’re reading the edited and expanded version.
As you start to walk on the way, the way appears. ~ Rumi
In a previous story, I mentioned and shared the video of my speech at the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon. In that talk, I highlighted three lessons from my life that embody my idea of success or being a bum; Idea #2: Do what you love, have fun, and money will take care of itself.
I am having fun doing what I love, sharing my thoughts here on Medium.
I am a bum, but not the kind society thinks.
(My special thanks to Celebriticat, Becky Leblanc, Truenorth, and Holly Jahangiri for reading and offering valuable feedback that enhanced the story.)
As always, thank you for reading. Here are a few more for your pleasure.
Rasheed Hooda regularly writes on #ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium, where we support each other.
He is a self-proclaimed weirdo living a Freedom Lifestyle and writing about related topics — Travel, Personal Growth, and entrepreneurship. (Join the Tribe)
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”
