This birthday has me thinking of my future, my place in the world, and what it all means.
I’ve never really been one to put a lot of emphasis on my birthday. It’s a day that has usually filled me with certain feelings of reminiscence and regret. What could’ve been. What should’ve been. This year, however, I’m taking a look what’s to come. Actually, it’s the start of a five year plan. As I get closer to what is traditionally known as retirement age, I realize that I’m in no position to consider retirement. After years of devoting all of my time and money to running a li’l cafe, I found myself starting from zero in my late 50s when I let it go.
That is of course a very scary place to be in this day and age. After all, even if I had a safety net of investments behind me (which I do not), things would be tough as the American economy spirals recklessly downward. Instead of feeling dread, I’m choosing to set my sights on finding something that can sustain me as I get older. Something both financially and spiritually. I’m currently working at Trader Joe’s and I really like this job. It’s a fantastic company to work for — good pay, excellent benefits, and they treat us very well — but it is also a physically strenuous job. Not something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life.
So, what’s next? Well, the truth is . . . I don’t know. I’ve had an eBay store of collectibles since 1999 that I’m now working to finally build out into something plausible. Plus I want to get this website back to the status of its glory days. At its peak some fifteen years ago, I was pulling in 100k views a month. I never monetized it because it was always a side project, a hobby. Then I gave it up to pursue my food career. Can I build it into something new now? I’m gonna try. I’m also determined to steer it in a more upright direction. Still keeping the focus on culture while exploring the connections between us all.
One of my main goals — other than being able to afford to live — will be to make this website into a source of hope in a world where I truly believe there is still a great deal of good to be found. It may not seem that way on the fragile surface served by the media or manipulated algorithms, but it’s there. Some of the ways I’ll be trying to shine a light on that goodness is by featuring more content about charitable organizations, advocates fighting for human rights, educators working to improve communities, and so on.
Diversity, equality, and kindness are not political. These are the things that make us stronger and better. That’s the message I want to convey thru my content. A mantra that I had at my cafe was, “Food, art, and music feed your soul.” I want to build on that concept. If you have any thoughts, tips, recommendations, etc., let me know in the comments below. Now . . . onward, upward, and forward. Here’s to the future.
Cheers!
Stephen
Instagram -> instagram.com/sb.cea
TikTok -> tiktok.com/@sb.cea
Twitter -> x.com/sbcea
eBay -> ebay.com/usr/sbcea
