Perpetually Unsatisfied - Alexi Wasser

NARRATIVE BY IMBOYCRAZY BLOGGER ALEXI WASSER

I don’t know what it is. Is it a sign of the times? Whatever it is, I tend to feel perpetually unsatisfied.

Am I alone in this?

It’s funny. If I didn’t set such high, specific goals for myself, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.  Maybe I’d be satisfied, but being “satisfied” sounds horrible too. Satisfaction sounds like giving up; like getting fat, wearing sweat pants, & watching television... forever. Like settling. But as long as I haven’t met my self-imposed goals, I feel like a failure. I feel incomplete. I feel “less than.” I'm sure as hell not grateful for all that I DO have. As it is: Life is great. I am a white girl with bangs in Los Angeles. Aside from getting the least serious form of cancer when I was in my early twenties (thyroid) and being emotionally & physically abused by my parents (hitting, not molesting – but geeze, what was wrong with me? not pretty enough? jkjk)… I have a good life. I’ve always made a living all on my own. I don’t have a rich family to fall back on, so i’ve never had help or a safety net, and I would never think to ask anyone for help, but I want a lot for myself. I'm not sure if accomplishing those things will even make me happy, but right now, I believe it will… so that’s what I strive for. And if I get those things, and they don’t bring me happiness, I will go from there.

Yes, I know you’re supposed to be happy with yourself first because no person or thing can complete you or fill a hole inside you. Well, except my vaginal hole, but you know what I mean. Anyways... for the most part, I am happy. But when I am quiet and still, when I am just meant to co-exist and be calm with another; it’s hard for me. Being in a partnership when I am unsatisfied with myself and terrified of potentially never realizing my goals makes me take it out on my partner, which makes me feel as though I'm better off being alone until I realize my dreams. But that might never happen and then I will be alone forever. I need to learn to co-exist with someone no matter what I'm experiencing, don’t I? I don’t know. I'm so rigid and controlled, and can be really stubborn and a know-it-all. I even constantly question, what type of man I'm most supposed to be with, even when I'm with a good one. Like a lot of girls, I'm chasing a ghost. Someone who may not even exist. This scares me. Do I take the imperfect, interesting beauty life places in front of me and realize that that’s what life is? Or do I get caught up in my head and say: I should be this, my life should be that, I should be with the type of man who is A, B, or C. Even though I’ve yet to meet that phantom man, or even gel with/be interested in him if I have met him.

Aren’t all the answers in me? Don’t I control my life’s path? If I need or want to accomplish shit, isn’t that all on me? Does it matter who I'm with? Will I always be unsatisfied? Is this the state of the nation – and by nation, I mean privileged people with no real problems? How dare you. It’s all relative. If you have the time to read a blog or instagram, you can relate to me, possibly. But really, is this feeling of perpetual dissatisfaction a sign of the times? Does everything move too fast? Do we have too many choices at our fingertips? Are we comparing ourselves too much because we have the outlets to watch other people brag and showcase their “perfect” exciting lives, even though behind closed doors they’re probably suicidal?

I wonder if there’s more. I’ve been listening to radio shows lately that feature a guy named James Van Praagh, who says we are all just souls who inhabit a body and we never really die. There is no such thing as dying. In fact, we just leave the bodies we inhabit. We leave these space suits and we are here on this earth because we chose to be; to learn a lesson. Sometimes I wonder what my lesson is to learn while I'm here. I don’t meditate. I don’t like yoga. Sometimes I do, but for the most part I don’t. I like long quiet walks while I people watch and think thoughts and am in my head. I’ve heard this is a type of walking meditation. I'm a searcher. Be it with my writing, via therapy, books, psychics, shamans, clairvoyants, tarot, conversations with strangers young & old, etc. I want to know what’s gonna happen. I want to learn from people. I want to know it’s all gonna be okay. I want to make a dent in this lifetime, I want to be seen and be helpful and be recognized for making a positive difference. I want to make people laugh. I want to feel connected. I want to feel like I belong.

I want a lot.

I guess I have to find the happy medium of enjoying life, being happy, being grateful, being in the moment, working, and resting, so I can appreciate the special and amazing things that happen, while always simultaneously continuing to strive for more so I grow and feel like I'm learning something, becoming better, contributing something not even intentionally, just via my trying to understand more and go deeper and because I like what I'm doing. And appreciating the moments as they happen. Not always living in the future. A future that might never happen.

I have to stop with the “I’ll be happy when that happens.” “When THAT happens, then I’ll feel like I can have fun/take a trip/do that thing/breathe/feel worthy of existing/feel like I'm good enough/bring something to the table/am no longer invisible/am allowed to exist.”

I'm realizing that it’s the process of being in the doing and making of things that brings happiness. Building a life and collecting stories that makes for an emotionally satisfying full life experience. A rich life. A fulfilling life. A higher quality of life. I'm even gonna get a cat so I have to put my attention on another living thing outside of myself, so I stop being so self-centered and selfish. I'm gonna go out-of-town without being filled with fear that I might miss a job or people might get mad at me. I'm gonna ground myself. I'm gonna have self-worth. I'm striving for more. A higher quality of life.

This perpetual dissatisfaction is a sure-fire recipe for depression. And it has to stop. I get so trapped in my head and spiral downward. I am missing out on what could be a great life because of all my doom and gloom. Things that help me get out of my head are listening to music all the time. Listening to it loud. Taking baths. Taking pride in how I put myself together before I leave the house, and throwing myself into writing and work. Always having a book to read or listen to; always be learning and discovering things, be it music, art, people, designers, writers, etc. Being inspired or to inspire. Be nice. Talk to strangers… but not too much and not all the time. Having boundaries is important & being conscious of the energy you expend on people and things that aren’t good for you or who are not worth your time & could suck you in and drain you.

That list was for me. But it’s for you, too, if you need it.

I'm just trying to be satisfied.

Or, at least, live somewhere in between satisfied and unsatisfied

Story by Alexi Wasser