A "jingle" in my pockets...
At the age ten I befriended a guy who was 12. He delivered "The Indianapolis News" in "The Valley"...
A close-knit section of folks near my home.
He had money. I accompanied him while he delivered newspapers. He bought me a candy bar and a soda.
That made a big impression on me.
His Dad got a job in a different State and he had to move.
I wanted to be able to buy a friend a candy bar and a soda.
I asked to take over his paper route.
At ten, I would be the youngest "paper boy" in the State of Indiana. The regional manager of the newspaper came to our home to interview me.
Was I mature enough?
Could I make change?
I showed that I was, and that I could.
And I delivered that newspaper for the next four years.
I ALWAYS had a "jingle in my pockets".
That little job taught me everything I needed to know about how to succeed in life:
-Spend less than you earn. Save some of the rest. Enjoy the fruit of your labor.
-Some people don't know how to budget their income. Be compassionate, but don't be a fool.
-Old people die. When you know and love them, it hurts.
-A business needs to grow, or it dies.
-Saving a little each day over a period of time pays big dividends.
Sara Jean and I now find ourselves in a position where we can do what we wanta do, when we wanta do it.
But it has taken over 60 years of planning and budgeting to get where we are.
(And the government may be about to throw a wrench into my long-term planning.)
When you are old, life is better if you had plans and executed them when you were young.
I look around me and see a BUNCH of people that needed immediate gratification. Some will HAVE to work until they no longer are able.
"The Ants and the Grasshopper"...
There are alternative endings to that story.
Grasshoppers should thank GOD for the Ants!
12 February 2021
Are You Rich?
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2 comments:
Yep, living within your means works when you get old... :-)
Still working. Legally I'm a collection agent. Mainly I deliver bad news letters to people. Not foreclosure but the step or two before. The majority of the houses I visit are $500,000+ with $100,000+ worth of cars, pickups, and boats/toys parked. I would bet most are leased and all are financed if not leased. Does the work bother me? Rarely. Occasionally I visit a modest home, sheets for curtains, five+ year old cars, etc. These people aren't damn fools, just people struggling to make ends meet. Often there is an occupant with a severe medical condition. What will give me an inner glow is seeing a Biden sign/sticker somewhere.
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