Here is another long one. It has been awhile. Have we lost our dream? As we grind through our daily routines, every once in a while we stop and start to ponder on the wonder and the beauty that is life. Short and brief, though, for anything longer leaves open for the world an opportunity to render you as a bum, a loser or worse, a crazy person. The American Dream: Apparently it means something different to all of us. Some lust for the money, boats and houses. Some go the other way and wish for larger, beautiful families. And there is third group that exists in America today. It’s the group that just wants to be left alone for a moment to think, recover and come out of the state of shock it is collectively in. This group boasts the widest variety of ages, gender and cultural demographics available. It reaches out into the farthest corners of the country and connects them with those stuck in the middle of the unforgiving urban environment. Yes, they are there too and they are in complete and utter disarray. Maybe the original American Dream was tainted a bit. Did we really need the nice house, nice car, that picket fence and the $2,000 special Maltese poodle? Do you relay need that I-pod ,That fancy new phone , That tablet of non communication?No, but it was very nice, very nice indeed, for about 30 years. Little did we know these little pleasures would turn us all into monsters with insatiable appetites for the things of this world that truly don’t matter. We took our eyes off the beautiful family unit and directed our gaze towards that four-bedroom house that needed renovations to keep up with the Johnsons. But hey, that’s the beauty of it all; every one of us gets to decide what their dream will be. Well … at least for now. My point is ……I continue to work hard and instill in my children the value of working hard and the rewards that come with it. “through what you earn” and lately, my plan has a little kink in it an I’m not really sure where to go from here. I am at a loss today as I reflect on the earlier years and how proud and happy I was to go to work, go home to my happy children, hear about their day and commend them on their accomplishments and choices, open the fridge with an abundance of choices on ‘what’s for dinner’ and share our day over a nice meal. My dilemma is not so much the pay cuts that we have endured, lack of raises when the cost of living, groceries, utilities, gas and rent goes up, having to chose on payday whether to spend the little extra on groceries, brakes for the vehicle or a school function, the choice is hard to make. We believe that sacrifice is part of the big picture in making things better as a whole. And we have made sacrifices and given up some necessities and earned luxuries during the past 5 years without a flinch in order to do our part. THIS is where I struggle today…………For the last 20 years I have TAUGHT by example………work hard, be honest, show up, don’t quit, sacrifice, be a team player, try your best, help others and ALWAYS be respectful to everyone you encounter because 99.9% of the time, you will encounter these same people again at some point in your life. Lately I feel that I am somewhat a joke, a liar, a fraud and a fake to my kids. Have I given them the wrong message all these years? After paying our mortgage, power, fuel for the car, car insurance, phone bill and budget for the next school function there is really sometimes nothing left. As I take a big huge shopping cart to do the grocery shopping, I notice that I am passing many items that we can do without. I pass a woman with several kids and this family who appears to be similar to mine is pushing two shopping carts that are literally overflowing. I look at my cart of 8 items and I look at my children and I am quite ashamed of myself for lacking what it takes to allow my children the luxury of darting thru the isles, tossing their favorite items into the grocery cart as they have done for most of their lifetime. I am not alone, And It saddens me. As we are checking out, I cant help but feel inferior to this family with their two over flowing shopping carts of goodness as I empty my big cart of 8 items to the conveyor belt and wait for my turn to pay. I feel anxious, I feel like I haven’t done enough. I almost feel like I haven’t worked as hard as I should to be able to afford more. Am I a failure? The woman in front of me with the two carts is arguing with the cashier over what she believes she should be able to buy. But more than that, you are Mothers and Fathers. So I turn to you and ask……HOW ARE YOU EXPLAINING THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN. I’m just looking for some logical advise as I cannot even comprehend the situation let alone justify it. What do you say? If it doesn’t make sense to me, how will it make sense to our kids? I just have to stand my ground and tell them that “you work for what you want and need”. They are not seeing this thru my actions. They see me go to work everyday and bring home virtually nothing. Am I sending the wrong message? People see what is going on, even kids see it and question it. Only few discuss it with you. The state has found million dollars (credit the Governor, not the state employees and teachers) for schools after teachers and state workers took pay cuts? Dropped programs at the university? We are still doing fund raisers for sports in high schools and the middle, WE, the kids and parents. Does this mean we don’t have to rely on our small businesses to fund our school activities? Yes, we have a generous community. If the state could match half the contributions made by residents, local and international businesses, what a difference that would make. Do you understand how critical it is to have programs of interest for kids to learn sports, JROTC, clubs to develop skills that help kids, etc.? Especially for households where parents cant afford to pay for uniforms and equipment? Statistics show these activities keeps kids interested in something and it keeps them off the streets! English as a second language? You might as well take half of the millions and give it to law enforcement because they are going to need it. These are questions we all have. Like I said, not everyone takes the time to ask them or even think about them. THINK THE TRUTH.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:33:44 +0000