No, I'm not being ________ (insert adjective or colorful noun).
I was watching the NBC news last night, cringing at the segments about our 'Economy in Crisis', and making a feeble atempt at understanding what is really going on. And then it hit me: life for me is no different now than i was 2 years ago. As a matter of fact, I have consistantly lived at or near the poverty line for 8 years now. I learned how to live without certain neccessities and luxury goods years ago. I never had a mortgage to worry about, so I suppose I'm not hurting in ways other people are. I havne't owned a car since 1999, so again, I'm not hurting like other people. At the height of the gas fiasco this summer, I only became aware of it affecting me directly when I went to the grocery store. I live on a very fixed food income, so shopping for me has become a very calculated event. But when milk shot up to almost $5 a gallon at one point, I had to make certain sacrifices in other areas: not buying a monthly bus pass or not paying my renter's insurance for a month.
I'm not old enough to really remember the recession of the early '80s. In the '90s, I had an awesome job waiting tables ($140 per night average) and was in school full time. Gas was .89 / gallon. It was easy to get credit cards (which I now regret). I lived free and irresponsibly. But there came a point when I had to shift gears and learn how to live differently. 'Blindly' moving to Oregon after college helped me with that. I started over, began living a frugal life, and have now become so 'used' to my lack of certain things that I don't shake in my boots when I hear news about the economy.
Am I lucky?
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Are you "lucky"? I am not much a believer in "luck". What I do believe in are qualities and character. You are endowed with both a myriad of qualities, and a great deal of rich character. What I see is a brave, talented, explorer who is very self aware and capable of finding his way out of rural Alabama and "blindly" building a life for himself in spite of adversity. Are you "lucky"? No. You are capable. You are a success as a human being. I feel very fortunate to know you. I have enjoyed watching the show from the balcony. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to remember the economic panic of the early '80s. In fact, I recall the mid to late '70s with 15-20% interest rates, gas shortages, and the "Cold War". I heard stories from my Grandparents about World Wars 1 and 2, the Korean War,AND the Great Depression. They also saw the introduction of electricity into the rural south, Model Ts, telephones (party lines), indoor plumbing, general access to higher education, and great advances in medical science. Our Capitalist system has its cyclical pitfalls, but we will survive and we will continue moving ahead. In the end, what choice do we have? Life is worth living just to see what comes next.
I always wish you well.
Z