"too much politics"

about ten years ago, i was working at the sheraton in weehawken. the sheraton had a great location. it's right on the hudson river on the jersey side with an awesome view of new jersey.

this job, like many jobs, had lots of conflict within. a lot of employees getting on each others nerves and what not. i spent three years at the sheraton and with the exception of a sad semester and a half in a community college, i pretty much consider the sheraton my college years.

that's the backdrop for this story... or hardly a story, just a moment, but an awe inspiring moment, one i haven't forgotten.

when the weather was nice, i'd take my smoke breaks and walk right over to the hudson river. i'd be there right on the edge looking at nyc, smoking my cigarette, and taking it all in. just looking for about 7 minutes of relaxation before it was time to get back to the grind.

one summer day i went for my smoke break and when i got to the edge along the hudson river, there was a dude sitting there. he brought a chair and fishing gear (fishing wasn't an uncommon thing. a lot of people did it when the weather was nice). he sat there with his line in the water waiting for a bite. i lit my cigarette.

i can't remember who said something to someone first. but he must've asked me how i was doing. and i started bitching about work. it started innocently enough... "i just need this stoge cuz i can't deal with these people in there today." i was referring to coworkers, not customers (pick a poison, they both got on my nerves most days).

i must've complained about a manager or something and this dude sat there and listened. didn't interject. he was a middle aged, graying, biker looking dude. i didn't know what to expect. a part of me wondered why i bitched so openly to some random dude.

when my work related rant was over, he looked at me and said:

"eh.... too much politics."

and i was dumbfounded. i can't explain it fully in words. but it made absolute fucking sense. he was absolutely right. i had let the politics of the workplace consume me when i should've just been above it. i explained to him how much i agreed...

but then my agreement turned into me citing examples of bullshit going on at my job and he turns to me again and says:

"too much politics."

and i stood there silent. i got the point. there was nothing more i had to tell this dude. he nailed it.

i put my stoge out and said it was good to meet him and he said likewise.

there's something about that moment. whenever shit gets crazy in life and i feel entangled by other people... whether it be coworkers, friends, family, acquaintances... i say to myself, "this is just too much politics."

and when i look at the problems in the world, in the country, in my neighborhood, all around me, i wonder how the hell things got so bad. and then i realize, "too much politics."

this dude... this fishing biker buddha..... he laid a most important lesson upon me. most of the time shit's so simple and we complicate it with bullshit. we add bullshit to everything for who knows what reasons... all for the sake of politics.

there's too much.

too much politics.

that's all.