Kick A Hole in the Wind & Jump Through

Hanh mitakuyapi. Sometimes you just have to kick a hole in the wind & jump through if you're going to achieve a goal. I've been living in dire soul-grinding poverty for a number of years, despite a huge number of skills at a very high level, plenty of tenacity & determination, flexibility, & creativity - so say my many friends, not merely me. Admittedly, I say it too - if you diss yourself, you burden yourself, so while I poke fun at myself & my sense of humor runs to satire & irony (& puns! let us have puns!), I don't have a poor self-image.

I come from a blue-collar background, but I've been in business since I was 5. That's right, takoszja - 5 years walking on the earth. I got expelled from kindergarten for showing too much initiative for an Indn kid. I had a business, & did a land-office business for awhile.. as a scribe.

I could read & write when I was 3-1/2 years on the earth, so I put together a booklet with 6 different hand-writing styles in it, went to the other kids in my kindergarten class, & pointed out that while anyone could have the teacher sign their pictures, it was way cool to have another little kid do it.. And that for a mere 10 cents a week each, I would sign all the pictures each one wanted, changing hand-writing styles if s/he wanted.

At the tender age of 5, I was making $2.60 a week! I was a millionaire! Well, I was going to be..

Then the kindergarten teacher found out about my business & she insisted that I (a) stop & (b) apologize to the rest of the class( ! ) Knowing in my heart of hearts that I had done nothing wrong, I refused. She expelled me. The first of many times, you can be sure. Eventually, by the time I graduated high school, I had been expelled so many times for such "excessively creative" activities, my shoes pretty much knew the way home without me in them. Tch, tch!

My birther thought it was kind of amusing. My foster father did not. He told me he appreciated my initiative & creativity, but that I was going to have to apologize 'because that's how things are done". This after teaching me that that is about the poorest reason on earth for continuing any practice. Boy, did he get a wrong number! I refused. We discussed. He insisted. I refused. We went round n round this way for several days.

Finally, he told me that if I didn't apologize, he was going to tan my behind with his belt. I told him this was child abuse. He agreed ( ! ). He started removing his belt & I told him I was going to tell the world.. he replied that no one would do anything; that's how much freedom had to discipline their children. I replied that belting a kid's backside was not discipline, it was outrageous & abuse. He argued outrageous, but agreed with abuse & finished it with, "so what?!?"

Being quick, I thought, "but you didn't tell me what to say & I'll bet you won't ask", so I said, "I would be doing it under coercion". I spoke that way, even then, takoszja.. He responded, "I don't care if you do it under an umbrella, just so you do it." So the next morning, he & I & the birther went to the school so I could apologize to the class.

The adults stood along the west side of the room - kindergarten teacher, principal, birther, & foster father - all with their arms crossed over their chests & looking stern. (As iff stern looks would cow one like me. HAH!) My classmates sat in front of them, glaring at me.

I looked them over & said, "200 years ago, everyone was like you. They could not read or write, so they took things to people who could. Such people were well-respected & well-paid; they were called 'scribes'. Ben Franklin spoke highly of them. Today, busy executives use them & call them 'secretaries'. Until the adults convinced you that I had done something wrong, you thought that having me sign your pictures was pretty nifty. You were right. So I'm sorry you let the adults pull the wool over your eyes in this matter - but I'm not sorry for anything I did, because I didn't do anything wrong."

Then I looked at the adults, whose expressions ranged from hidden amusement to stunned, crossed my arms over my chest, & said, "and that's as good as it gets." The foster father bit off a smile & said, "I should have asked what you were going to say." I replied, "Yeah, but you didn't. You said apologize, & I have. Subject was never mentioned, nor were specific words or perspective." He bit off another grin & said, "Kid, you're going to be a lawyer." I replied, "Uh-uh! Lawyering's dirty! I'm going to be in business! business is fun!" And so it has been, the great majority of the time.

Now, after some scum sabotaged my Leather Restoration Service web site, terrorized my web master, & sabotaged my work room (after they battered down a door to get in), I have built a new site - for my custom handmade moose & buffalo leather mocassins. I have listed it on Google's business listings. And I have told you. You can see my work at www.Dogmocassins.DevHub.com . Eventually, there will be other parts of Indian Maid Products Inc's product line on sites there. We're baaaack.. Whee! I rattle my tongue for this.

I don't claim to be a webmaster. I used a template & filled in the blanks. I'm still learning things like SEO. But my shingle is back out & I'm back in business. Mitakuye oiasin. Thanks for listening.