Jonathan Daniel Hughes
College Student, The Ohio State UniversityDublin, Ohio
Jon Hughes is a freshman at The Ohio State University. Many things have changed in his life within the past few years. He went from being a normal high school student, enjoying his youth, to getting engaged too young and moving out of his home. New responsibilities changed Jon’s perspective on life. Now single and in college, Jon is finding himself back where he started.
I was pretty pampered, I think we all know that. I really liked moving out, I liked the farm out there dude. The farm life is great. Out in the middle of the country, nobody for miles accept for that one creepy neighbor that lives behind us. I’m rather scared of him and I don’t want to go to his property. Just being out on your own, is different. It’s a shock at first because you take so much for granted. You don’t even think about it when you’re living out there. Once I moved out there, it became like a pride thing not to take money from anybody and just be able to live on my own. I think the money thing is a huge shock for people when they move out. Money is a huge thing, moving out and just having to take care of yourself you take a lot for granted, you really do. Another thing is living with other people. My mom says you never actually know somebody until you live with them and like understand their habits. I mean you really learn a lot by moving in with people. It’s a real shock at first having to deal with each other because you both come from different households with different views on the way things should be done. You believe the dishes should be done, I believe that once I’m done eating out of the dog bowl and that’s dirty also, maybe we should wash enough dishes to get us through the next couple of days. I mean you see the way I do laundry when I was living out there, I’d be like, I’m all out of underwear and I’ll put four pairs of underwear in the washer and leave all the other shirts and jeans on the floor. Just living on your own is a shock at first. It takes time to get used to it.
Within almost exactly a year, I went from having my first girlfriend ever, to getting engaged. I think my relationship with girls has changed. I don’t know if I’d say for the better, but I defiantly talk to more girls now. I was defiantly more shallow back in the day. My view on things has changed.
All that really matters to me anymore is being successful. It used to be about being happy and all that stuff. I will not settle for anything less than 12 million a year…after taxes (laughter). I see a lot in life. I used to kinda wonder what I was going to do. It’s always a matter of ok I’m going to take the next step. Now it’s like if I see something it’s like I know what I gotta do. I want to be successful and I know what I gotta do. I used to just want to major in business and own a horse barn. Dude, I’m majoring political science or criminal justice. I got great grades right now, I’m a 3.8 student. I made dean’s list first two quarters. I had a 4. Last quarter. You know how you have seven classes in high school? Ok I dropped out of one class last quarter, so I had two classes and two A’s right? Those two A’s are more than I had ever gotten on any report card in high school. Just right there alone. I just want to be successful and make good money, I want to find a good wife…better than Kelly (laughter). Better looking, better attitude, nicer, prettier, smarter. All that stuff. Basically not a man. And settle down with her and have kids. I want to go out to Duke for law school. That’s like my main focus right now.
I think that the American dream is simple; life, liberty, and property. To be able to live your life the way you want to be able to live it, liberty, to be able to live, to be free, to make your own choices. To do what you want in life and property, to be able to own things, to be able to have possessions in your life, to be able to surround yourself with stuff and to be a successful person. And that’s the American Dream. That’s what we’re biased on. To be able to do what we want with our lives and be successful and not have anything to hold us back. It’s all about what we make it. The American dream is about being different from anybody. Your American dream could be working construction and that’s what you make it. Mine could be working at the Corral for the rest of my life and that’s what I make it. But the American dream is whatever anybody wants to make it. It’s not one big thing. It’s just those simple things. Living your life, being free to live your life the way you want to live it, and having the ability to gain wealth and possessions and to have things in life. I mean possessions can’t make you happy. I don’t really like that people say that money can’t buy you happiness, but you know what? There’s a lot of people who beg the differ. The guy who’s getting divorced because his wife is killing him for not being able to pay off the mortgages and their kids don’t have enough clothes and food. Money might make that guys life a little happier, make his life easier. The American dream is just about being successful and live your life the way you want to live it. That’s what is so great about this country. You can be whoever you want to be here.
Nobody’s happy where they are at. If you’re happy where you’re at, you don’t deserve to live (laughter). If you’re happy where you’re at you’re useless. You should never settle for who you are, you should always want to do better in life. You can be happy where you’re at, but you should always strive for more. Am I happy where I’m at? Nah. I don’t know. I’m shit broke, I should probably get back in shape, I should quit smoking. Those are my three things right now. Other than that; and those are three minor things when you look at live. When you really look at life in the big picture, getting back in shape, quitting smoking, and being broke, those are pretty minor things. I’m not a raging alcoholic, I’m not a raging drug addict. I have the will to live. I have a lot of friends in my life. I have a lot of people that love me. I’m very happy for the way my life is turning out. I went through a really bad spell when me and Kelly broke up. I think you saw my post breakup gigantic beard and long hair that went down past my ears. You know another thing I actually really like? Moiety, and here is why. When I was in high school, wrestling was the thing I centered everything around. It was a physical activity that I was good at. I centered everything around it. And once I got out of high school and me and Kelly broke up, I ran everyday, I lifted everyday and just focused on wrestling. It took my mind off of it. But moiety gives me a reason to go out for a run. It gives me a reason to lift a few weights. It gives me a reason not to smoke during the day. You know what I mean? I think that every person should do some kind of physical activity. You have to do physical activity. That’s why people are happy because it releases endorphins into your system out of your brain and it just makes you a better person. And I’m really trying to use moiety as a way of getting back on track and giving me a reason to do things. It makes me a lot happier.
Everything that you do in life, you always feel like you’re screwing up. That’s the way I feel a lot. But when you look back on it, every horrible thing that has happened to you, every ounce of pain you feel, you grow from it. Everybody says that’s stupid, but it’s true. You actually grow from it. There’s just so much more to life than what you’re doing right now. No matter how bad you screwed up, there is always a way out. Live your life and learn from your life. Don’t make the same mistakes twice. Everyday is a learning experience, and that’s the way it is. That’s why God put us on this earth, to learn and to grow and become better people. Everything that happens to you, happens for a reason. Just live your life, chase your dreams. Everything else that happens, happens for a reason. You just gotta learn from it and grow from it no matter what it is.
I was pretty pampered, I think we all know that. I really liked moving out, I liked the farm out there dude. The farm life is great. Out in the middle of the country, nobody for miles accept for that one creepy neighbor that lives behind us. I’m rather scared of him and I don’t want to go to his property. Just being out on your own, is different. It’s a shock at first because you take so much for granted. You don’t even think about it when you’re living out there. Once I moved out there, it became like a pride thing not to take money from anybody and just be able to live on my own. I think the money thing is a huge shock for people when they move out. Money is a huge thing, moving out and just having to take care of yourself you take a lot for granted, you really do. Another thing is living with other people. My mom says you never actually know somebody until you live with them and like understand their habits. I mean you really learn a lot by moving in with people. It’s a real shock at first having to deal with each other because you both come from different households with different views on the way things should be done. You believe the dishes should be done, I believe that once I’m done eating out of the dog bowl and that’s dirty also, maybe we should wash enough dishes to get us through the next couple of days. I mean you see the way I do laundry when I was living out there, I’d be like, I’m all out of underwear and I’ll put four pairs of underwear in the washer and leave all the other shirts and jeans on the floor. Just living on your own is a shock at first. It takes time to get used to it.
Within almost exactly a year, I went from having my first girlfriend ever, to getting engaged. I think my relationship with girls has changed. I don’t know if I’d say for the better, but I defiantly talk to more girls now. I was defiantly more shallow back in the day. My view on things has changed.
All that really matters to me anymore is being successful. It used to be about being happy and all that stuff. I will not settle for anything less than 12 million a year…after taxes (laughter). I see a lot in life. I used to kinda wonder what I was going to do. It’s always a matter of ok I’m going to take the next step. Now it’s like if I see something it’s like I know what I gotta do. I want to be successful and I know what I gotta do. I used to just want to major in business and own a horse barn. Dude, I’m majoring political science or criminal justice. I got great grades right now, I’m a 3.8 student. I made dean’s list first two quarters. I had a 4. Last quarter. You know how you have seven classes in high school? Ok I dropped out of one class last quarter, so I had two classes and two A’s right? Those two A’s are more than I had ever gotten on any report card in high school. Just right there alone. I just want to be successful and make good money, I want to find a good wife…better than Kelly (laughter). Better looking, better attitude, nicer, prettier, smarter. All that stuff. Basically not a man. And settle down with her and have kids. I want to go out to Duke for law school. That’s like my main focus right now.
I think that the American dream is simple; life, liberty, and property. To be able to live your life the way you want to be able to live it, liberty, to be able to live, to be free, to make your own choices. To do what you want in life and property, to be able to own things, to be able to have possessions in your life, to be able to surround yourself with stuff and to be a successful person. And that’s the American Dream. That’s what we’re biased on. To be able to do what we want with our lives and be successful and not have anything to hold us back. It’s all about what we make it. The American dream is about being different from anybody. Your American dream could be working construction and that’s what you make it. Mine could be working at the Corral for the rest of my life and that’s what I make it. But the American dream is whatever anybody wants to make it. It’s not one big thing. It’s just those simple things. Living your life, being free to live your life the way you want to live it, and having the ability to gain wealth and possessions and to have things in life. I mean possessions can’t make you happy. I don’t really like that people say that money can’t buy you happiness, but you know what? There’s a lot of people who beg the differ. The guy who’s getting divorced because his wife is killing him for not being able to pay off the mortgages and their kids don’t have enough clothes and food. Money might make that guys life a little happier, make his life easier. The American dream is just about being successful and live your life the way you want to live it. That’s what is so great about this country. You can be whoever you want to be here.
Nobody’s happy where they are at. If you’re happy where you’re at, you don’t deserve to live (laughter). If you’re happy where you’re at you’re useless. You should never settle for who you are, you should always want to do better in life. You can be happy where you’re at, but you should always strive for more. Am I happy where I’m at? Nah. I don’t know. I’m shit broke, I should probably get back in shape, I should quit smoking. Those are my three things right now. Other than that; and those are three minor things when you look at live. When you really look at life in the big picture, getting back in shape, quitting smoking, and being broke, those are pretty minor things. I’m not a raging alcoholic, I’m not a raging drug addict. I have the will to live. I have a lot of friends in my life. I have a lot of people that love me. I’m very happy for the way my life is turning out. I went through a really bad spell when me and Kelly broke up. I think you saw my post breakup gigantic beard and long hair that went down past my ears. You know another thing I actually really like? Moiety, and here is why. When I was in high school, wrestling was the thing I centered everything around. It was a physical activity that I was good at. I centered everything around it. And once I got out of high school and me and Kelly broke up, I ran everyday, I lifted everyday and just focused on wrestling. It took my mind off of it. But moiety gives me a reason to go out for a run. It gives me a reason to lift a few weights. It gives me a reason not to smoke during the day. You know what I mean? I think that every person should do some kind of physical activity. You have to do physical activity. That’s why people are happy because it releases endorphins into your system out of your brain and it just makes you a better person. And I’m really trying to use moiety as a way of getting back on track and giving me a reason to do things. It makes me a lot happier.
Everything that you do in life, you always feel like you’re screwing up. That’s the way I feel a lot. But when you look back on it, every horrible thing that has happened to you, every ounce of pain you feel, you grow from it. Everybody says that’s stupid, but it’s true. You actually grow from it. There’s just so much more to life than what you’re doing right now. No matter how bad you screwed up, there is always a way out. Live your life and learn from your life. Don’t make the same mistakes twice. Everyday is a learning experience, and that’s the way it is. That’s why God put us on this earth, to learn and to grow and become better people. Everything that happens to you, happens for a reason. Just live your life, chase your dreams. Everything else that happens, happens for a reason. You just gotta learn from it and grow from it no matter what it is.
I remember reading this before i actually met him at Rock on the Range. You did a great job of describing him nad he ended up being a really cool guy
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