I've been spinning my wheels all night, working on our finances, looking for cheap furniture and part-time jobs on Craigslist, trying to make old furnishings work in our new home .. and generally being frustrated that I can't just go out and buy whatever I darn well please whenever I darn well feel like it.
Spinning those wheels in an attempt to turn straw into gold, I am. How very Rumplestiltskin-esque of me.
I turned back to my pile of paperwork that I abandoned earlier in the day and found an article I had saved from Heifer International's magazine "World Ark" (the May/June 2006 issue). An article that struck me deep the first time I read it, and stopped me in my tracks again tonight.
It's called "Being Poor", by John Scalzi. It can be read in its entirety at www.scalzi.com.
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Spinning those wheels in an attempt to turn straw into gold, I am. How very Rumplestiltskin-esque of me.
I turned back to my pile of paperwork that I abandoned earlier in the day and found an article I had saved from Heifer International's magazine "World Ark" (the May/June 2006 issue). An article that struck me deep the first time I read it, and stopped me in my tracks again tonight.
It's called "Being Poor", by John Scalzi. It can be read in its entirety at www.scalzi.com.
____________________________________________________________
Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they're what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there's not an $800 car in America that's worth a darn.
Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.
Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won't hear you say "I get free lunch" when you get to the cashier.
Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.
Being poor is hoping your kids don't have a growth spurt.
Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.
Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.
Being poor is not taking the job because you can't find someone you trust to watch your kids.
Being poor is hoping you'll be invited for dinner.
Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.
Being poor is $6 dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.
Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.
Being poor is having to live with choices you didn't know you made when you were 14 years old.
Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.
Being poor is deciding that it's all right to base a relationship on shelter.
Being poor is a cough that doesn't go away.
Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance form a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.
Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won't hear you say "I get free lunch" when you get to the cashier.
Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.
Being poor is hoping your kids don't have a growth spurt.
Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.
Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.
Being poor is not taking the job because you can't find someone you trust to watch your kids.
Being poor is hoping you'll be invited for dinner.
Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.
Being poor is $6 dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.
Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.
Being poor is having to live with choices you didn't know you made when you were 14 years old.
Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.
Being poor is deciding that it's all right to base a relationship on shelter.
Being poor is a cough that doesn't go away.
Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance form a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
1 comment:
That really broke my heart! I work in pharmacy and MANY of our customers are poor. So much so that they cannot afford their $1 copay. This makes me look at the issue differently.
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