I am not going to write about richness of one's soul here, but actual money rich.
I have just spent a week at a nice resort on Hilton Head Island. Lots of rich people live and vacation there.
I grew up poor and have blogged about that in the past. I wasn't Dolly-Parton-poor, but close. There were five kids and only one blue-collar income, so we became masters at stretching the dollar. Food was in abundance from the garden and small farm, but everything else was make-do. I knew we were poor, but many in our small community were in the same boat. In spite of this income level, my parents were able to send all five of us to college and 4 of us graduated. We all became successful in our own ways and one of us (maybe two) (not I) is a millionaire.
I have never seen myself as rich, but as comfortable and middle class. Yesterday in a conversation with my son-in-law he said that he admired that we were conservative people even though we were rich. (Both he and my daughter make six figure incomes, so I was certainly surprised that he saw us that way.)
And yet, I guess if I think about it, by many standards we are rich. Our house is finally paid for, we have a steady retirement income--small but one of us is indexed! We have health insurance. Our 401ks have shrunk by 50%, but we can actually survive without them if we live like a normal retired couple. Due to this recession we won't have the international travel we had dreamed about, but we are not like some in worrying about health bills or other important issues.
We also have many small luxuries we could cut if needed as inflation will certainly rear its ugly head when the piper must be paid. Yep, we are rich.
This last photo was taken from our bedroom at the resort. If you click on the photo you will see why I was taken by the body language of the middle-aged couple in the lounge chairs. Being rich has its price and this photo may tell part of that story.
We are richer knowing each other.
ReplyDeleteI like your attitude. We used to own property on Hilton Head - and no we weren't rich then and we certainly aren't now.
ReplyDeleteThat guy was on a blackberry, right? Too bad he couldn't just enjoy his vacation.
I also noticed the fetal position that his partner is in as she faces him. Almost as if waiting for the vacation to start. Or was she too exhausted from planning the vacation?
ReplyDeleteI'm not rich Tabor so spending a few days in fine resorts is always a dream come true for me. Hope that man didn't spend too much time on his blackberry.
ReplyDeletePerspective is the key. We are always going to have to work and die on the job to afford the burial. But that doesn't preclude us from having a good time while we are here.
ReplyDeleteNot rich, but if I get the chance to go there or somewhere I would flop myself on the sand with a book under a tree if possible.
ReplyDeleteThrough many eyes over the world your situation would be rich.
ReplyDeleteAt one time I would have been viewed as this. I guess it is according to your circumstances. I could no longer vacation at Hilton Head but at one time I could.
Do not even know if this is making sense.
We've lost about 20% of our savings, mostly in 401(k) reduction. We can live comfortably but not extravangantly - meaning, we can take the occasional trip, but not far or long. We still hope to go to Australia in five years, though.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, we have no debt past one month, at all. Like being on a diet, where you don't get points for not eating the bun, we don't get points for not having debt -- and in fact have seen people saying we SHOULD -- but we like it this way. I imagine we'd be a lot tenser if our home was mortgaged.
And one of us is still employed, to my amazement.
By the actuary tables I am poor. I certainly don't feel impoverished, though. I don't have a mortgage, can afford to pay my bills monthly, don't own a dime and can go out for simple pleasures. Who needs more?
ReplyDeleteEverything is relative. To someone living in a third world country I would be envied as a wealthy woman. Compared to the ones who benefited from the Bush tax cuts I would be poverty ridden. I'll settle for the half full glass.
Not rich in money, never have been, but being completely debt free makes me feel rich in a way.
ReplyDeleteI grew up poor enough too, nine kids, working class, dad was an ironworker, mother was a waitress. Only one of us went to college in the traditional sense (although quite a few took college classes, went to night school, and one is a nurse). I lived below the poverty level for most of my adult life, somewhat by choice, choosing to be an at home single mother.
So that's why we have the camper, cause we're not going to get any second home, condo or the beach or any such thing. Right now we're looking into house trading so we can travel oversees more.
One thing about these kinds of choices (with nothing too much to lose) this recession has effected me hardly at all.
I am certainly not rich. Have struggle with medical bills for so many years. I don't have that anymore. I make enough to pay bills
ReplyDeleteand my old house, although it needs some work is paid for.
Oh, I forgot to mention the fact that I was unable to mother and work because of my CFS issues. Who knows how much I could have done (or made) without that factor.
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