I AM A BLESSED MAN…
This week a couple of students from UCLA were posting about the things we take for granted. They had been moved into a dorm which had a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. They marveled at their luck to be able to open their blinds and see something so beautiful. After a few weeks, it became unnoticeable and they were shutting the blinds to reduce the glare on their computer screens. Then several weeks later they were complaining about the brightness and how it made watching television so hard. They complained so much, the dorm administrators moved them to another room. This one has a view of a parking lot. After a week or so, they realized what they had lost.
A week or so ago, our water was turned off for a few hours due to a water main break somewhere close to us. No water to bathe, wash clothing, flush toilets, water plants seemed like a major event for a few hours. Suppose it was off for weeks or months at a time?
Like you, we probably read or view daily reports of someone lamenting their problems with their job, their rent, housing, their cars, prices or whatever. The internet is full of posts of folks sitting in some $150,000 auto sipping a $7.00 cup of whatever and complaining about their current ‘impoverished’ life. Boo-Hoo…can you hear me crying for them? I’m not…
Personally, I think the problem lies with the difference between what we want versus what we need. Do you want a career or need a job? They are very different you know…
We all like really nice cars but let’s be honest. If you want to get from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, does it really make any difference if it’s in a Porsche or a Ford Fiesta? As long as they run well and aren’t dangerous, then the only difference is comfort. But they get you there just the same.
The same with a job. I suggest that anyone can get a ‘job’ but it may not be the one you want or in a career you spent 5 years in college studying for. The point is, will a job, even if you don’t like it, pay for your existence? Can you get by until you find some alternative that will make you happier?
Now, we get to the crux of the matter, what is your level of existence? If you want to drink coffee lattes at Starbucks for $5 and have your nails done each week, you may have to change your way of living. Housing is expensive, everyone knows this, but you may not be able to afford living in a high rise with lots of amenities and then move to a smaller apartment or have a roommate. There are options that can be explored.
Living in the country has given me a new perspective on needs vs wants. In the city, you went to a hair stylist with an appointment. Here you go to a barber and you walk in. the same thing applies to something like tennis shoes. Kids today want the latest style tennis shoes which can retail for hundreds or thousands of dollars when you can buy a pair on Amazon starting at $35 or so. Certainly not the same as the expensive ones but will it get the job done? Well about the same as the Ford Fiesta and the Porsche. They will suffice for a season.
So, I’m a blessed man with a house, a drivable automobile and a cheap haircut and I’m good to go.
Maybe you are not working in a job you like. Maybe you can’t afford a house or the apartment you are living at right now. But, look at this, if you are reading this, then you are alive and breathing. There are a lot of folks that did not make it through the night, last night.
I’ve never been afraid of work and I have always had plenty to do. It may not have been what I liked or enjoyed, but it certainly has allowed me to survive.
I’m not complaining, I’m thankful for what I have, not what I don’t have. I have all I need, not necessarily all I want.
Perhaps at my elderly, mature, ancient, OLD age, I have become more tolerant of what I can now do as opposed to what I could do. I have no need to travel around the country, I eat simply and well, I sleep well and have enough clothes for each season.
My final blessing point is that I have a wonderful wife who has put up with me for 56 years. She has the patience of Job and why she has been around this long is a continual mystery to me.
I am indeed a very blessed man. I hope you can find your peace in this crazy world we are living in.
See you next week. Peary Perry
