Rich In Many Ways
I am rich in many ways. Rich, fortunate, satisfied, happy. Friends, family, loved ones are abundant. For the most part, I have my health, as do those around me. I do not lack for material things, and over the years have accumulated various items which bring me joy.
I enjoy much love, as in a loving relationship, a family, and numerous close friendships. A good many of these friendships stood by me during the toughest of times. Not only do I enjoy much love, but I also have much love to give, to share, with the same Significant Other, my family and many of my friends.
This is in many ways a fortunate life, a good existence, a pleasant ride.
I am rich in many ways. But not insofar as money goes. Not these days, anyway.
Like many others, I have seen, withstood, and participated in the present situation of economic decline which plagues the country.
These days I do not spend on whimsical items. I buy no extras, no impulse items; I spend no more than is necessary to get by. There is no spare money. Sometimes there is less than sufficient money.
Then, despite the many riches which I am fortunate to appreciate, coming along for the ride with money pressures are frustration, fear, concern, and loathing, as well.
Loathing for those who waste public money, who lower taxes on the well-to-do while the middle and lower classes struggle. Feeling loathe toward the politically connected who receive multi-billion dollar projects, while there are millions of people who are struggling to put food on the table, pay the rent, clothe and shelter their loved ones.
This makes me no less rich in many multivariate aspects of my life. The powercrats are not of a mind to confiscate my reading material, my web access, my music, my shelter, my very old but still roadworthy car, and so forth. I can still watch television, attend numerous cultural and educational events.
I remain free to voice my opposition to the self-agrandizing pigs in power, to communicate my thoughts and feelings. I remain free to feel rich in the right to indulge in that which I please.
I simply have no spare money for any extras, or indulgences that might shrink my bank balances, slight though they may currently be.
And I take a certain comfort in knowing I am not alone.
We know from years of on-line interaction that certain clues exist. When one is having personal or financial troubles, their on-line presence diminishes. Years of BBS lists, message boards, blogging, the old Compu$erve Forums, have brought about an abundance of clues, and the ability to discern when trouble may be brewing.
Some time back, about eight or so years ago, a friend told me there had been a number of people we both knew ñ-forum buddies, actuallyó- asking what had happened to me. Where had I gone, why had I dropped out of sight, no more messages, no more comments, no more input. They asked this one on-line friend in that we lived in relatively close proximity. Well, this friend did not know for sure, but did know I was going through a thoroughly nasty divorce, separated --by hundreds of miles-- from my children, losing my home and family, and having much trouble just dealing with facing each day.
That dark period came, and then over time, in certain areas and degrees, it went.
Time, some say, heals all wounds. Not so in my book. Time may lessen the acute and immediate impact. Time may mellow out the ardor and the rancor. But it does not truly heal. Rather, it institutes distance and numbness. So time is a good thing, as can be that distance and numbness.
Time, I think, softens and lessens the immediacy of pain, it helps it transcend from acute to referential. Scars may remain, although they too, tend to fade. Memory may jolt the mind back to the original emotional moment, but again, time will do its job.
Time also will allow me, and many others, to rebound, financially. Thereís no sin in making money. One can earn it, and lots of it, in honest and productive environments. One can use the spoils as one sees fit. Some give to charities, some to causes, some to pet projects, or loved ones. Some just use their earnings to make more money. The goal can be a little bit single-minded: money for the sake of making money.
Money can bring joy, as opposed to always or only being the root of all evil.
So yes, I am rich in many ways. But not so, these days, when it comes to money.
Cobra payments are due each month, as are a host of other essentials. Yet I remain positive, optimistic, certain my fortunes will turn around. Not just because I will it so, but because I am willing to work, work hard, and call on past history and background.
Also, I am lucky to have what some consider ìvision.î I enjoy research, the marketplace, and doing both creative and analytical work, often at the same time. This was a major plus for me when I worked in broadcasting, and has always served me well in understanding and relating to the consumer/user side of product development.
I tend to work best when working for myself. Self-employment is best for me. My level of tolerance can be very low when it comes to poor management, cluelessness, greed, or bullheadedness. This low tolerance makes it better that I work on or as somewhat of an island. The humorous side of this is that I am often brought in as a mediator, the guy who helps disparate entities to communicate, the counselor or psychiatrist for situations.
My riches will serve me well, and rewards, even those financial ones that seem so elusive these days, will remain or return. And, I trust, will do so in abundance.