WELL HERE IT IS ALMOST MIDNIGHT on Thanksgiving night and neither of us can sleep. Jim, I saw a sign on the Dan’s Deals Store that they will be opening at midnight tonight. They have some incredible bargains on so many of the things we want to buy this holiday season. Sue, I thought we agreed that this year we were going to stick to the traditional meaning of the holidays not the version the retailers are trying to once again shove down our throats so they can report higher earnings to Wall Street. But Jim…… Sue, I didn’t tell you this but my best friend at work Larry told me a couple of days ago the company is going to be “scaling back” operations. Jim, you should have nothing to worry about since you have always been such a big producer for them. My salary and the cost of benefits are too much for them from what I hear. So what do we do Jim? Are you going to get your usual bonus? You know how much we count on that money every year. Sue, I don’t know. I don’t know. I just don’t know! What else would you like me to say.
The scenario above is atypical for the emotional roller coaster many families ride this time of the year. One minute you are climbing up and the next minute you are on the edge of your seat as you are plummeting back down at incredibly gravity defying speeds. The Retailers will entice you to come in and shop using your low-interest store credit card. Before you know if between the interest and other fees you are now drowning in debt but at least the kids have the latest new toys. Isn’t that the true holiday spirit? Or is the true holiday spirit letting people trample over each other to the point where somebody was killed years back due to the greed of the retailer whose bloated advertising budget led to pandemonium that resulted in a loss of live. A life for a TV is fair exchange isn’t it? Express your feelings of remorse by refusing to play this rodeo circus game this year.
Many people were fooled into believing that housing sonic boom would blast our economy into outer space and y 2016 we would economically be in another stratosphere. Obviously that did not happen as every so often we hear the ‘r’ word (recession) being used as the economy is not really growing at any great rate of speed nor a are there a surplus of new jobs being created. Anybody who is holding a job right now is holding their breath as far as 2016 goes. While this is not a new occurrence the changing dynamics of the world make things that more precarious.
New terror threats are wreaking havoc with travel not to mention the psyche of people all over the world . Even more so when a once feared adversary is now our strongest defender. Radical changes like these do not necessarily paint rosy pictures for a new year. The again if we are resilient enough we can turn things around by refusing to as former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani implored New Yorkers to go about their business as if they don’t the terrorists have won yet another battle.
Jim, I guess I should have told you earlier but due to insurance regulations I can no longer offer the long-term care some of my patients need. We have to let go of them no matter what. I’m worried with the cut in reimbursement rates the clinic may have to let some therapists like myself go or cut our hours. As it is they area already outsourcing the IT Operations to save money. All the details won’t be known until March of next year so I am not sure what we are going to do if the worse-case scenario comes true.
Hey Larry, it’s Jim how about we go midnight bowling on Friday night with the guys from the office and have a few beers and some laughs? Yeah I know things are tight since Sue and I have been fighting ever since the guests left last night. Once in a while we have to live a little bit. It can’t be that we can’t spend any money or can it? I just don’t know what to think anymore.
With each drop of blood that drips out you your budget where do you turn? Each new item of clothing that is needed or funny noise the car makes sooner or later there is no more blood to bleed. With our inept leadership does this mean we will have an unprecedented number of people in 2016 who are underemployed, uninsured, inflated welfare rolls where refugees put here illegally dry up our economic wells?
Maybe it’s just me but the Jets are not looking much better than last year. A boring banal offense and defense that can’t stop anybody. Well at least he early season for the Knicks and Rangers is starting to look like a very good (dare I say championship) omen for 2016. Now if the Yankees can make some move at the Winter Meetings and pick up some front line pitching we could have an all New York 2016 sports season.
Back and forth the pendulum of our lives moves us from one day to the next and from one year to the next. We either go from left to right or right to left depending on where you start to see the arm move. The pendulum is symbolic for the gamut of events throughout our lives.
It truly is a world of stop and go, then when you throw in divorce, legal fees, car repairs and rising food costs it seems impossible. During the past few years I went from having seven figures in savings and investment to losing everything, going through cancer and sleeping in my truck during 20 degree below zero tempertures with no heater, only blankets. Since that time 9 years ago I’ve managed to pick myself back up, remarried and live a pretty decent life. Am I rich no, but at 67 I am grateful to have friends, family and my health. Anyway, back to my point! The biggest thing I learned during that horrible time was that I still had God watching over me, my Savior and prayer. No matter how much I lost I never lost my God and Savior who I talked to every night and day. That couldn’t be taken from me. Not by lawyers, not by the IRS, not by my ex wife. Nobody could take Him from me and in that I said to myself, do i really need anything else?
Love you Joel
Thank you, Johnny! Life can be cruel, hard with many tests put before you. During some of the worst periods of my life, G-d got me through them even though at that time I did not acknowledge him or speak to him. Of course, that has all changed. One thing though I think the IRS loves me more than you as they are forever sending me letters as a gentle reminder they are still in my life and will probably always be in my life. Who knows since they love me so much they may come to visit my gravesite just to say hello.