During the holidays I often think about what it means to have enough money. I have enough money. I pay my bills every month. There is food in my fridge, gas in my car, clothing in my closet, and cash in my checking account. I have some investments. I have a pension (unless the state of IL goes so deeply bankrupt it defaults on the pension system).
This is not because I am particularly talented with money or because of any virtue on my part. I am just lucky. Born into the middle class and other lucky turns along the way. I suppose I could have ruined myself in any number of crazy or stupid ways, but overall I have just muddled along with what I've been given and managed not to screw things up too badly. One of the key bits of luck was that I happened to want to do graduate work in a field where people get good jobs. So I have a good job. It won't make me rich, but it makes me comfortable.
I know quite a few people who in the past decade have used the expression "when I(we) used to have money." Mostly these people have meant this a bit lightly. They had had high-flying jobs in the dot-com bubble, let's say, and their company went under or their stock options lost all their value. These people went from living in a world of inflated expectations and absurd corporate overspending, back to what is everyday reality for people like me. Modest vacations, realistic homes, jeans from Old Navy, a small car. Nothing wrong with that. It's a very nice reality. You pick and choose your luxuries. You don't expect to have everything, but you can have somethings. I have a gym membership. I love the gym. I would love to have a big fat digital cable TV subscription too, but I don't.
And really, most people I know are doing fine. Maybe they are making changes to reduce their debt or their discretionary spending, but probably they are working, and like me, they can see that they have enough. It seems like one of the blessings of the holidays is the opportunity to think about this a little bit more. So it wasn't a hugely extravagant Christmas. So what?? What did we really need, that we don't already have? Nuthin.
I made a donation to the local food pantry the week before Christmas and bought very modest gifts for my family. One of my brothers happened to decide to do the same sort of thing as well. It's nice to have some presents to open, to carry on the rituals of giving and receiving. It's sweet to think of small things that people I love might enjoy--a book, an unusual ornament for the tree, a bottle of wine. Maybe one of the things that makes me really lucky is that the rest of my family all seemed to think this was a fine way to do Christmas. The children did not seem to notice any difference. My own daughter is remarkably ungreedy about gifts and has been all her life: she loves whatever people give her and never seems to notice what she doesn't get.
May we who have enough remember this Recession Christmas for how it gently reminded us that we have enough. May we keep giving to charities like the food pantries on behalf of those who truly do not have enough. I think I will sign up to give a monthly donation. Maybe about the same amount that my gym membership costs, just to remind me.
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2 comments:
I've been going to a church where about 15-20 people show up most Sundays and most people are retired and eking it out, although I don't know much about the members, I have the feeling a lot are living from paycheck to paycheck. They still raise money for our local interfaith shelter program, and this Christmas they raised over $1000 to "adopt" a family leaving the shelter for their own apartment, to help them make Christmas and get off to a good start. Each child in the family got a stocking containing $1cash per year of age, and the mom received a combination of cash and gift certificates to Target and the supermarket. The organizers also gave $200 back to the church. They raised the money by selling take-home dinners after church services. I was pretty awestruck by how much these few people could do by working at it, and how much I and my daughters already have, so that I felt more grateful to be part of this family's Christmas than for almost anything else that happened, other than the simple fact that Abby and Melanie and I were together.
Eleanor--That is wonderful and so meaningful, what you all did for that family. In past years Laura and I did shopping for families through a program in our church, and I really loved doing it. Maybe next year we will do that again.
For two years I was a homeless shelter volunteer. I often have situations with students who become homeless or have serious problems paying for their tuition and sometimes get kicked out of my classes. One of the things I was thinking about when I wrote the posting was where in my life I interact with people who really don't have enough. My personal friends and family all have a fairly easy time, at least economically. (my gosh this could go on forever)
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