I Ain’t No Fortunate One

Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they’re red, white and blue
And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes

It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no

Yeah!
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, “How much should we give?”
Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! Yo

It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no military son, son
It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, one

It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no no no
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, no no no

Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival

How do you measure wealth? Is it a sum of the dollars in your bank account, the value of the car in your driveway or the number of bedrooms in your house? Perhaps you can count your blessings by the number of friends who come to visit on a Friday night. By modern standards I have nothing to show for my 53+ years of life, but if that is the prism one must look through to find ones wealth than I ain’t no fortunate one.

I drive a 30 year old vehicle and I have no house or apartment. What few friends I have cannot come to see me on a Friday night as I never know where I will be or where they could come to. My bank account is small but I have enough for me and mine. Every belonging I have in this world would fit in the smallest u haul trailer, and there is no silver spoon in my hand. And yet, all this is what I feel makes me a fortunate one.

All I ask for is what I can earn. Through hard work I make my way through this life with one goal in mind, I bother no one and I ask the same in return. It’s a simple goal and one that is easy to fulfill, at least for some people. For others their goal seems to be to push themselves upon others as if their ideals and thoughts are the only way to live, the only way that makes sense.

Sometimes those people are in a position that we gave them complete with all the power that goes with it. We put them there to represent us yet they take it upon themselves to ignore the will of the masses and lead us like sheep. Still, who are the fools? The people in power or the ones who continue to put them there? I think you know the answer.

I am no leader but neither am I a follower. I am my own representative with my own goals. I must follow the laws of my country as I should, but I don’t have to like all of them. I could become active in the political discourse, write my Senator or Rep to voice my opinion, but instead I shall follow the path that I hope will lead me to the lifestyle that best suits my goals. As much independence as I can muster. It’s a long road to pass but I shall not falter.

Like most people my will is not always my friend, not always as strong as I would like. Some days I struggle to overcome the daily slights and minor attacks on my well being. Other days no amount of bad tidings could rupture the bubble of hope surrounding me. Finding the middle ground between both days would be the greatest blessing but the gate to that yard eludes me to date. Even so, I still lean harder to the optimistic side and that is what pushes me forward towards the light. I have never been a quitter and I won’t start now.

I’ve spoken before about the idea of a boat, an escape capsule of sorts that could deliver me anywhere I fancy. I all but gave up on that dream when I became to zealous and purchased a boat not suited to my goal and then sold it. I realize now the folly of my near sighted plan and how much I must give up if I wish to reach the ultimate realization of my dream. I will not make that mistake again.

For now I will satisfy myself with all there is to see and do as I travel the highways of this country. I will escape to the outdoors as much as I can and satiate my thirst for freedom as best I can. As much as I have planned for this vacation or that, envisioned myself living another lifestyle, I keep coming back to one dream…I will never be satisfied until I sail away from the USA, perhaps forever. The day that happens, will I then be the fortunate one? We shall see…