Life is Good?

Life is good.  I try to live and breathe that.  I try to be positive about things because to be honest, being negative doesn't change things and only makes you more miserable.  That's not to say that I don't get down or negative.  (Although I wish I could say that was the case.)

Life is good.

  • I have a job that I am comfortable in.  I like the people.  I like what I do (thus far; I haven't been there that long).  The commute isn't bad (which is a big plus).  Of course I am making a salary equal to what I made 8 - 10 years ago and back then I was only supporting 2 people instead of 3 and the prices of things (like gas) wasn't quite what it is now.


  • I have a great son who will be entering 4th grade. Of course, I haven't seen him that much this summer because he's been off at sleep away camp (courtesy of his paternal grandparents) or at the NJ shore/Marine Science Camp (courtesy of my parents).  He's had opportunities this summer that I would never be able to provide him if it weren't for our extended family.
  • I have a great husband.  He's got some health issues and with health insurance being what it is these days, it's a little more expensive than I ever anticipated.  (Okay, it's a LOT more expensive than I ever anticipated.  A good chunk of my paycheck goes to paying for health insurance and after that there is pretty big deductible which pretty much has wiped out the savings account.  I've always prided myself on being a saver and having money put away for a rainy day, but unfortunately we've had monsoon like weather around here for the past two years.)  He (actually we) are working towards getting healthier (hopefully before all of the savings are completely wiped out). And with better health and a son who is growing more independent, hopefully new job opportunities will come his way.  (That's a hint, my networking friends.)
  • I have a good home.  Like most of the things in our lives, it needs some repairs, but it is our home.  (Thanks to my mom who inherited it from her mother.  Without her understanding in renting it out to us, we very possibly could be living on the streets.)  We have wonderful neighbors and a beautiful neighborhood.  (At least until construction starts at the end of the block and the beautiful trees and woodland creatures fall victim to "development" and the mountain on which they reside is blasted away which just might cause some disruption to our neighborhood as well as to two local elementary schools and countless local businesses.  http://www.myveronanj.com/2014/07/22/bloomfield-ave-developer-changes-tack/)
  • I have good friends.  (Many of whom might be reading this.)  Unfortunately, many of them live pretty far away which means I don't get to see them very often.  But I know they are there.  (Thank you social media and smart phone technology.)
  • I have enough to eat.  We have had to cut back on little luxuries.  (Who hasn't in these uncertain economic times?)  Luckily, my husband brews a mean cup of coffee -- eat your heart out Dunkin Donuts/Starbucks. (I didn't mention that in my previous bullet point and maybe I should have!)  We never dined out much to begin with (thank you severe food allergies), so we don't miss it.
  • I have plenty of clothes.  Because of my volunteer work at the local thrift shop, I look better than I ever have before.  (And I have more pocketbooks than I care to admit.) 
  • I, and my family, have enough "stuff."  (Of course if you ask my son you can never have enough Legos, but I think we have more than enough and we were even able to get him more for his recent birthday.)  Do I have as much as I once had and can I buy as much as I once did?  The answer there is no, but we DO have enough. And that's something I need to remind myself of.
  • I do have some savings.  Yes, it is dwindling as I am forced to dig into it to pay off bills. (Something that my maternal grandmother taught me never to do:  DON"T TOUCH YOUR PRINCIPLE.)  But it still exists and I am hopeful that I will be able to build it back up again.  (Of course, I am also hopeful that I will hit the Mega Millions Lottery!)


It's not an easy life, but it is a good life.  And so I remind myself at least once a day; life is good.

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