the Thing That Scares Me Most

Deyve, I probably shouldn't write you this because I feel angry and I've never expressed anger towards anyone in this group. Why do I feel angry because I'm jealous of you. I can't work. I'm disabled and I can't earn a penny. All my money goes towards my medicines and my treatments and doctors and I don't even have food to eat for part of every month. I'm terrible at handling a bank account since I don't write down all my checks or when I use my debit card; I totally forget to. . I'm really angry that I don't have enough money to even make it every month and there's more which I wont go into.

For heavans sake in this day and age with so many people losing their jobs what in the world are you complaining about? I always tell people do not judge another until you've walked in their shoes and I'm doing this with you. I suppose it's because I've been depressed lately about various issues and the holidays bring up a lot in me. Usually I wouldn't express any thing like I've just done but you have a job and you''re even getting a better job, so, in contrast to a bed ridden disabled woman who can't make money but who has a good working brain who if it weren't for my health could earn money I can't. so, I know, I know I'm not being compassionate with you and look I have a brother who has always his entire life had so much money and lived such a comfortable life, going to Europe several times a year, doing everything and anything he wants. Eating organic foods, getting a masseuse to come over once a week, having a built in sauna in his shower, a hot tub, a swimming pool , liviing in the the rich part of Long Island and he's scared about money and has always been. Sometimes or often really when people have the money they are the scaredest because they fear losing it.



Treating others ocasionally is a very nice gesture and if it makes you feel good, then all well and good but like me sometimes it's hard to see the whole picture of what one can and can't do. This I do understand. It's important to balance what we have and to really take a good hard look at our finances and it's something since I'm so sick and in so much pain that I don't do since I jump on every new healing modality going to try to find help since doctors can't do a thing for me. So my situation is different from yours. You can work. I can't. But, basically it's still a fear in both of us and needs to be taken seriously for you as well as for myself. It just irks me when people who do have a comfortable life are complaining about things re. money and I'll go back to what I just said to you, no man should ever judge another since we haven't walked in their shoes. it's one of my problem, jealousy and isn't one of my character defects I'm proud of, but, appreciate what you do have and try to balance it out and see what's important to you and if you need help to get more in control of your finances then get it. There are people who can help with this. Good luck and happy holidays. Velvetflow.

Find other ways to make people around you happy. This year, for the first time in my adult life, I did not stress about Christmas. Last summer, I canned a lot of pickles and jams and jellies and relishes....and made my own labels on a Word Processing program on my computer at work....and then handed them out at holiday time. It was a lot of fun. In fact, I highly recommend learning to can because you can make your own cheap convenience foods.



Read: Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fisker. This young man worked for 5 years and then retired for life. He makes a good case for not being part of the rat race at all. He describes lots of ways you can live much cheaper if you are willing to change your lifestyle. After reading his book, I am learning to color and cut my own hair.

I think I know how you feel. Living by generosity is my plan too, and only lately have I realized that it makes me feel "real" because it is something I can do and something that reflects a broader view of how we could live if everyone shared good will towards each other.

The second fact that I have recently learned is that we tend to expect the way things will be to be predictable, and therefore count on things happening, and they just don't. The only thing certain is uncertainty. So in a way, living by generosity is like asserting that we would like the future to be more

predictable, and in a way that proves that what we think, proves that we exist in a good way. In fact, it makes the "reality" that we choose to prefer, exist. And that's good for people like you and for me.

I feel your pain there. I did that for a long time. I'd take friends out to eat, pick up checks, lend money, and things of that such. I can't afford anything. I really can't even afford to support myself. But there's hope! The only place left to go is up, right?