Survival Mode/Survival Mental
Tags: Illumination, Fiction, Living, Life Lessons, Surviving

A story on Survival Instincts

Josephine Wilks was a caregiver for a rich family. They post cameras on the inside and outside of their mother’s home. Josephine felt like a specimen under a microscope, so after one year she decided that it was time to reclaim a little privacy. She had no problems with the cameras, she just didn’t feel comfortable being watched.

The day she was to leave, the entire family came over to thank her for her services. 16-year-old Jodian, her case granddaughter asks, “Please don’t think of me as being rude, but I watched some of the videos of you and I think you are wonderful.”

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Josephine eases back, brows furled, then quickly unfurled them.

She continues, “You are organized, efficient, resourceful, and you plan everything. Where did you learn to be like that? Were you in the army when you were young?”

Josephine smiles at her almost laughing, then releasing, “No, I wasn’t in the army.”

“Then where did you learn to handle your life in such an efficient manner? Can I join?”

Josephine fought to contain herself, covering her mouth to keep her laughter in, then quickly releases, “You can’t join.”

“Why not?”

“Well, you have to born in it. Why would you want to join?”

“I want to be like you. You handle time management efficiently, you plan and co-ordinate everything for my grandmother good. You are the only caregiver we had that we don’t have to tell what to do. It’s like you were programmed.”

“So you want to be programmed too?”

Jodian laughs then shares, “I study how efficiently you use your time, and do some of what you do and my grades have improved significantly. You planned my grandmother’s meal ahead of time. You have a special order in which you do your job. I noticed at night you would take all of the stuff you need in the bathroom before she goes in. Plus you plan for the next day. According to how you plan your time, you get a lot done in a short time. Giving you extra time for yourself to do what you love to do. I want to join the club that taught you how to be so efficient.”

Josephine stares at her for a while, then disclosed, “the name of the club is called POVERTY.”

“What!” Jodian said.

“Poverty is a fight for life. Everything I do, I do because there is a limited choice. Poverty imposes limitations on our movement, choice; food; clothes; shoes; education; where we live; how long we live; the type of work we do; the friends we keep too and for some, how they think. Faced with so many limitations, to survive we find innovative and proficient ways to make what we have work.”

“But you are in a different place where poverty isn’t,” Jodian quickly said.

“True,” Josephine remarks. “But right now, this is the only way I know how to live.”

Eyeing her, while smiling Jodian said, “It’s also a way of thinking then.”

“Yeah, it’s also a fight to survive.”

“It’s not registering in my brain,” she utters in confusion.

“Ok,” Josephine explains. “The expensive Jansport bag you threw away because it had a tear on it. They taught us to sew in schools in my country. So to be creative, I would embroidery an apple or something beautiful where it was torn. Then I would get more use from it.”

She smiles saying, “That’s being innovative.”

Josephine continues, “I heard your father complaining that you are wasting food. For us, it’s tomorrow’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”

“That’s where planning comes in?”

Josephine nods saying, “We can’t afford to waste resources. Plus last month you bought a pair of shoes for $3500.00. Wear it a few times then throw it out.” Josephine continues.

“What is wrong with that?”

“For that price, it should come with emeralds and rubies on it.”

Smiling Jodian asks, “but what if you really want that shoe?”

“Only if it has emeralds and rubies on it for that price,” Josephine repeats.

“So Poverty teaches more lessons than wealth does,” she expresses in deep thought.

“Poverty also teaches me discipline, for me, it’s a tool, for some, it’s a weapon.”

Jodian stares at her in awe, then let out, “as a tool it helps you to survive, but as a weapon, it doesn’t.”

“Right, poverty has placed many of us in survival mode and survival mentality. Many of us stay there. My actions, choices, and decisions I make it’s because I have a survival mentality.”

“But that’s a good thing!” she exclaims.

Silence maintains for a minute then she releases, “Can I combine what poverty has taught you with my life of opulence?”

Josephine smiles at her, “You can, but it takes a lot of self-discipline for the wealthy to live simple. A strong and positive reason helps too.”

The poor want something the rich has. The rich want something the poor has. Wealth and Poverty teach different lessons. Rich or poor, life is never complete.

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