The
Aftermath
“'I just
love paying bills. Makes me feel responsible.' Said no one, ever!”
And now for the aftermath
of the wonderful holidays! In a few days the credit card bills for
all those fabulous gifts, great food, and holiday parties will come
flooding into our mail boxes like rain water down a gutter spout. And the
pain will be intense. According to the American Research Group, the
average American spent right at $1000.00 on holiday gifts
alone this year. For some people, that's chump-change, but for most
of us, it looks a little like King Kong sitting on top of a stack of
regular monthly bills. In January, we wonder what sort of evil genie
possessed our brains in December. Ah, well, we say, I can eat Ramen
for a few months, and then we start trying to figure out how to shift
the same number of dollars as usual around to cover at least the
minimum payments. It's a shell game in which, somehow, the pea
disappears all together. That's my story, anyway. I wonder if it's
yours too.
Again, this is a true
First World problem—one that is self-created, and carries
self-inflicted wounds. I have lived since the stone-age (1940's) and
I can tell you, when I was a child, we got oranges and hard candy in
our stockings. From Santa, we received one toy—mine was usually a
doll, which I hated—and the only store-bought clothes we got all
year—typically socks and underwear. That was it for Christmas.
Things have definitely changed. I am not blaming anyone—I clearly
recall decadent Christmases when my sons were small. The entire house
would be full of toy-parts and wrapping paper. The living room looked
like a bomb had gone off in a glitter factory. It was truly
appalling. I feel a little exhausted just remembering it.
Every year, we tell
ourselves, as we're scheduling those on-line payments and watching
our paltry bank account shrink, “I won't do this again! Next year
will be different!” Right? Probably not. So, an attitude adjustment
may be necessary. Let's give thanks for the ability to carry debt,
and for being able to feed ourselves, even if it is Ramen. We
can cook it with clean water, in a warm house—at least, some of us
can. Let us give thanks for the warmth of family, the gift of food
and the celebration of life the holidays bring each year. And then,
let's try not to cry while we pay the bills.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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