Cutting up Money

Cutting ~ 

the grass, random shoots of green

a bolt of cloth, pieces of fruit or cuts of meat

household bills, credit cards and taxes

programs and corners to make something else fit

each time a cut is made,

money is used differently

shaving down amount of money spent

balance the money on hand with need vs want

the quick of life is different for everyone

some cuts are at the whim of another's distant judgement

cutting too close just might devastate

needs are not one size fits all

in the up close world, individuals are responsible for deciding

which cuts to make; where and when to make them

“Due to budget cuts the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.”

~ Aaron Paul

Anticipation ~ 1

Hot, sweet, creamy coffee.

Last tasty drop drained and drunk.

Paper rim rolled up in anticipation.

‘Thanks for playing’

‘Sorry - not this time’

‘Come back again’

Playing the game 

gambling on a win

fun for a time ~

anticipation has a short shelf life

But as a marketing tool over a cup of coffee with friends ~

money changed hands effectively.

Marketing isn’t magic. There’s a science to it.

~ Dan Zarrella

Money - An Essay

Money didn’t mean much to me until I was old enough to get an allowance. Seems such a tiny bit now ~ $0.35 on a Saturday night.  I don’t think it was every Saturday but when I did get it, it bought me a $.10 bag of popcorn from Mr. Blaney’s popcorn stand, with $.25 to get into the movies. Popcorn was my priority then and now, when it comes to movies, but that amount of money wouldn’t even get me an hour at a parking meter today.

So money grows and changes over time. (I think it’s called inflation.) What we purchase with our money, is often the same as we always have ~ just in different forms, as well as innovations of whatever generation we inhabit.

Coins and banknotes are the same size and shape as they’ve always been, changing only in their physical makeup. When needed, a different form of coin or bank note has been designed and put in the market place as a new medium of exchange with the same purpose.

But what we need and want can be the same. A roof over our heads, food on the table, entertainment, health care, transportation and of course, stuff. One other category that doesn’t always fall into the realm of ‘wants’ is donations to support people in any stage of life assisting them to learn, to grow, and sometimes to survive. There assuredly are more broad categories, but these may be the main ones.

Getting money, saving money, spending money, donating money ~ four activities that can often seem all consuming. Each day will bring something tied to the medium of exchange that supports a society, whether it be working at a job or purchasing groceries.

There are rich folk, and there are poor folk, and then there’s all the rest in between. Over time any of us can move back and forth within these categories depending on the whims of circumstance, what we have learned about the balance between spending and saving, donating and acquiring money and what attitudes we each have about money.  

As the years have passed, I’ve learned many lessons about money and am still learning as I go. The quote that I’m closing with has helped me to put money in good perspective ~ money is not, nor should it be, the be all and end all of a well lived life.

“People first, then money and then things.  Money never comes first.”

~ Suze Orman

The End of Humour

Alas, no more humour!

This month’s at an end.

Looking forward to laughter

shared with family or friend.

I worried and muddled

‘What will I write?”

For thirty whole days

it seemed quite a fright.

Each day was a challenge,

several other things pressed.

Fussing or stewing to jockey for place

but humour did win a blue ribbon for best.

Find in each day, what joy there can be

when something large or small creates a wide grin.

So smile just a little, or laugh a whole lot

chuckle and chortle like good ol' Huck Finn

“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon 

without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.”

~ Henry Ward Beecher

Monday Friendships

The wind, bracing and steady, challenged us to keep warm and to hear each other talk. A much smaller walking group today, several of our group are off to southern climes with museums and art galleries, delicious wine and exotic cuisine. But the rest of us soldiered bravely on.

The sun shone brilliantly, and quite warmly, while the wind snatched it’s warmth away from us. Steady gusts tore at the entire landscape - blue green water flecked with foam tipping rolling waves, early greening trees bending in submission, grasses fluttering like flags. Gulls rode the currents quite happily. One lone heron cruised to the roof of a nearby apartment building, not quite so graceful as the gulls.

And we were determined! Determined to get to the coffee shop at Shoal Point where hot coffee and warm smiles awaited.

Our Monday walk is not just about exercise or the scenery, although they are certainly benefits. This walk is about friendships we started many years ago and each Monday our group of friends meets - to walk, to talk, to laugh and to commiserate with one another. Our Monday friendships have solved the problems of the world - politics, religion, family, children, grandchildren, housing, and of course, aging (although none of us are). We each have our own sense of humour and share it with each other, quite boisterously to be honest. Actually, quite noisy from time to time, especially when discussing some of the naughty bits with laughter erupting, bubbling up and overflowing.

“A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, 

a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.”

~ Lois Wyse

Simple Gratitude

A card folded from white construction paper

'Thank you' drawn simply in pastels on the front.

Positioned where it may or may not be found.

Inside ~ gratitude for help, humour and healing.

Hearts were touched, eyes softened, faces smiled.

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones

which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.”

~ Henry Clay