I like my stonewash denim with the long crease in ’em and my snakeskin boots
I like my GTO down a 2-lane road with an open windshield view
I’m telling the truth
Baby, they ain’t got nothing on you

I can wear my Chanel watch, but nothing makes the time stop like you walking in a room
Just like the diamonds on my grill, oh, the way you make me feel like a special kind of fool
Yeah, it’s true
Baby, they ain’t got nothing on you

All the gold in the world, no, it don’t mean much
Can’t take it with you when your time is up
All the shine of the crown might be good for looking, but when it all breaks down
Oh, they ain’t got nothing on you

So, the retired life is not for me. I’m growing impatient by the day, but honestly, this down time has given me the opportunity to think some good thoughts, some bad thoughts, and some neutral thoughts.

I’ve had some great people in my corner, a lot of people who have helped me feel okay, like I’m gonna be okay without this job, and like I’ll find a better job. One thing I’ve noticed in this down time is my desire to write, and how much I really enjoy it. Maybe someday I’ll be a little less illiterate and be able to do this for a living when I’m too old to work a dining room, but we got at least another 40 years before that happens.

What I’m about to write isn’t directed at any one person, or maybe it is. Regardless, what I’m about to say applies to every person, everyone having a hard time, everyone having a good time, and everyone who doesn’t see how fucking beautiful they are, because I gotta be honest, I only have the most beautiful people around me, and the people I do share this with are the best of the best. Part of why I’m not at 1928 anymore is because of someone who wasn’t a beautiful person, and didn’t care about other people. It was not ownership I promise you that.

They don’t have anything on you, the they I refer to is whoever you compare yourself to. We’re all guilty of comparing ourselves to others, and comparing people we like or dislike to others. Comparison is a thief. I remember I wrote a blog some time ago about how ambition is a thief of joy, well so is comparison. Comparison is a thief of joy and happiness.

They don’t have anything on you. To the women who read this: the girl your ex is dating now, she doesn’t have anything you don’t have. She’s not better than you, in personality, in looks, in any sense she’s not better than you. She’s different from you, but she’s not better.

I know this because for a long time after my ex left me I wondered what the guy she left me for had that I didn’t. The answer is nothing. We are just different guys, we live different lives, have different beliefs, one of us has a better mustache, but at the end of the day he’s not better than me he’s just different.

They don’t have anything on you. When you look in the mirror and you think to yourself: I’m *insert negative word*. It’s not true, you’re not whatever that negative thing you think you are is. You aren’t ugly, fat, your body is not something you should be ashamed of. You are not a bad person. We’re all a little fucked up, and we’re all fucked up in our own way, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a good person or you don’t deserve good things. It takes time.

In a world where you can get instant hits of dopamine by getting likes on instagram or fucking whatever, it’s hard to understand that it just takes time. You need to learn yourself, and your triggers. We all have triggers, we all have fears, insecurities, anxiety. How could you not? We are being given information and being compared to things and people in a way that is not natural for human beings. I can go on a dating app right now and decide if I “like” or “dislike” someone based on how they look. That is NOT how humans were meant to live.

We all have that person we compare ourselves to, we all have that instagram account we follow or creep on thinking “I wish I had this persons life”. Dude that persons life probably sucks dog dicks. I could very easily make my life look like it couldn’t get better on instagram, but every day I wake up and I have to face my demons like everyone else. My insecurities, my fears, my anxieties.

They don’t have anything over you. For most of us, our fears, insecurities, and anxieties, are all things we can’t control. Let them go.

I don’t expect anyone to share their insecurities, fears, and anxieties with me, but I’ll share a couple of mine, to remind you that whatever you’re feeling, it’s normal, but let it go, because they don’t have anything on you.

I fear that I’m going to spend more of my life alone than I’d like to.

I’m insecure about the way I look, and the way I dress because some people judge me for it.

I’m insecure about my skin because this time of year it gets really fucking dry.

I’m anxious I’ll have a hard time getting a job because I just tattooed my hands.

I’m anxious that most of the people I talk to don’t actually like me.

I’m anxious that I’m too much for most people.

I’m insecure because I have a hard time reading social cues and maybe that means I’m autistic or something.

I fear that I’ll never succeed in life.

I fear I’ll never have the life I want.

I fear that my parents abandoning me did permanent damage.

I’m insecure when it comes to approaching women because outside of my job I’m not a confident person.

I could keep going but I think you probably got the idea. The point is, They got nothing on you. You’re beautiful. If you’re afraid, do it scared. If you’re anxious, do it anxious. If you’re insecure, do it insecure. Don’t let these perceptions stop you. In return I’ll attempt to do the same.

Yeah, it’s true
Baby, they ain’t got nothing on you.

Where the skies are gold not gray,

J.

P.S. This was for one person, but it applies to all of us. Stay well.