This morning when I flipped my calendar over, I couldn't believe that it's December. Growing up it seemed like Christmas took its time to get here but now that many of us are parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents, the holidays sneak up us on and our wallets much more quickly.
Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the meaning of the season gets lost in a hail of one day specials and sales. People will put themselves into hock just to get the latest toy, gadget or outfit for the people on their shopping list.
As I watch the growing disparity between the rich, poor and middle class, I can't help but think about what's happening in Washington while the majority of us are tightening our belts..The statement that Nero fiddled while Rome burned comes to mind.
In a country where we practically worship youth, we don't seem to pay attention to what will happen to us as we age. People who were born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer era are beginning to hit fifty. While those born in the beginning of Generation X are beginning to hit their mid-forties (yours truly included) in either case we are beginning to look at Social Security and what will happen when we reach the age to receive the benefits. Will it be there for us? Moreover will ir be there for our children?
Over the next year we will hear countless debates about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as entitlement programs that should be cut in order to bring our national debt under control. But the truth is people on fixed incomes (Social Security, Social Security Disability and SSI) are not sitting at home eating Porterhouse steaks, sipping on champagne or driving around in the newest Mercedes model., they are at home facing decisions like should they buy food or pay for medication. If they had a choice to be well enough to work and earn a living, I can assure you they'd do it in a heartbeat.
I have MS. It's a progressive form so it's likely that I will be in a wheelchair in ten years. That is not to say that I've given up. I am doing everything I possibly can to stay on my feet with my trusty third leg (crutch). One medication costs in excess of 3500.00 per month. That's not a typo. In fact it doesn't include the money I have to spend on medications to help control pain and the orthotics I need to help me with foot drop (that's dragging your foot when you walk).
With the other costs associated with living in New York (or anywhere else for that matter), I have to limit my Christmas spending.so I can pay the utilities, oil and food. So when I hear that a millionaire won a lottery jackpot or that the Khardashians made more money in 2011 than several A-list celebrities combined, I get a little ticked off. Indeed how can we get ahead here in America? I'm not ready to put my life under the microscope for all to see. Instead I use my brain to write.
I've written and had ten books published. You would think that would put me in the Steele, Patterson and King neck of the woods but it hasn't. Like a number of writers, I have to compete with television reality show personalities du jour and celebrities to get a book deal. Nearly every Real Housewife has used the show to promote their platform. I'm not mad at them for that. But wasn't it Andy Warhol that said everyone would have 15 minutes of fame? It seems these 'stars' have hit the snooze button for more than an hour. I will admit it occasionally grates my nerves.
However, when I allow those feelings to pass, I remember what this season is all about. It's about giving and not just presents. It's about donating time to shelters, helping elderly neighbors out, sharing a meal with family and all of the things you can't wrap up with a bow.. Keep this in mind and we'll be giving our loved ones something they will always remember and treasure long after the tree comes down and all the ornaments have been put away.
Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the meaning of the season gets lost in a hail of one day specials and sales. People will put themselves into hock just to get the latest toy, gadget or outfit for the people on their shopping list.
As I watch the growing disparity between the rich, poor and middle class, I can't help but think about what's happening in Washington while the majority of us are tightening our belts..The statement that Nero fiddled while Rome burned comes to mind.
In a country where we practically worship youth, we don't seem to pay attention to what will happen to us as we age. People who were born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer era are beginning to hit fifty. While those born in the beginning of Generation X are beginning to hit their mid-forties (yours truly included) in either case we are beginning to look at Social Security and what will happen when we reach the age to receive the benefits. Will it be there for us? Moreover will ir be there for our children?
Over the next year we will hear countless debates about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as entitlement programs that should be cut in order to bring our national debt under control. But the truth is people on fixed incomes (Social Security, Social Security Disability and SSI) are not sitting at home eating Porterhouse steaks, sipping on champagne or driving around in the newest Mercedes model., they are at home facing decisions like should they buy food or pay for medication. If they had a choice to be well enough to work and earn a living, I can assure you they'd do it in a heartbeat.
I have MS. It's a progressive form so it's likely that I will be in a wheelchair in ten years. That is not to say that I've given up. I am doing everything I possibly can to stay on my feet with my trusty third leg (crutch). One medication costs in excess of 3500.00 per month. That's not a typo. In fact it doesn't include the money I have to spend on medications to help control pain and the orthotics I need to help me with foot drop (that's dragging your foot when you walk).
With the other costs associated with living in New York (or anywhere else for that matter), I have to limit my Christmas spending.so I can pay the utilities, oil and food. So when I hear that a millionaire won a lottery jackpot or that the Khardashians made more money in 2011 than several A-list celebrities combined, I get a little ticked off. Indeed how can we get ahead here in America? I'm not ready to put my life under the microscope for all to see. Instead I use my brain to write.
I've written and had ten books published. You would think that would put me in the Steele, Patterson and King neck of the woods but it hasn't. Like a number of writers, I have to compete with television reality show personalities du jour and celebrities to get a book deal. Nearly every Real Housewife has used the show to promote their platform. I'm not mad at them for that. But wasn't it Andy Warhol that said everyone would have 15 minutes of fame? It seems these 'stars' have hit the snooze button for more than an hour. I will admit it occasionally grates my nerves.
However, when I allow those feelings to pass, I remember what this season is all about. It's about giving and not just presents. It's about donating time to shelters, helping elderly neighbors out, sharing a meal with family and all of the things you can't wrap up with a bow.. Keep this in mind and we'll be giving our loved ones something they will always remember and treasure long after the tree comes down and all the ornaments have been put away.
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