Money...

I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money. ~Pablo Picasso

This is my dream every day. How amazing would it be to be able to not have to worry about money and live your life simply? I think that too frequently when we start to have money though, we feel that we need bigger and better things. It is a constant battle to think that you do not need anything when it is so easily obtained. I frequently wish that we would be able to raise our future children and not have to worry about affording groceries, food and house payments but never have them think that we are worry free when it comes to money.

I remember when we were growing up; we did not have many toys. The toys that we did have were presents from birthdays or Christmas not a daily occurrence. I remember being so poor that my parents worried about paying their bills. Once my mom lost our $70.00 in the grocery store, she looked all over and could not find it. It was the money that we had for food and without it we would not be able to buy food. The manager that was working at that store gave my mom her groceries. As our life went on, we were fortunate enough to have parents who were able to make more and be less worried about buying groceries and paying their bills.

The little amount of money that we had enriched our lives, we were so creative, active, and happy with what we had. I never thought that we were really missing out on things when I did not get the toy that I may have wanted. When I see the way that people are raised today it makes me mad. These teenagers that walk around without any respect for anyone or anything, have such entitlement issues. They expect teachers to bend over backwards for them to help them pass their classes. They bring in a quarters worth of assignments at the end of the year and expect it to be accepted so they can graduate. And the worst part is that they get away with it. No Child Left Behind only furthers this mentality. It teaches people that people will make accommodations for them so that the school district will not look bad. It teaches them that even if they have not learned what they need to have learned they will pass a class. Kids in stores make me sick and parents make me sick. I see parents who are so lazy that they ignore what their children are doing. They allow the children to run around going into people’s bedrooms, scream through the halls and break valuable things. If the parents don’t completely ignore the children or leave the room, then they say in their very nicest voice “gentle, gentle”. Umm…no, it should be “Do Not Touch that is not yours!” I am baffled frequently by them. My greatest fear is that I will be a parent who is like that. They teach these children at a young age that they are in control and that their parents are wet fish that they can push around and get whatever they want. We are raising a generation of children that have no compassion for others and are so self absorbed that they do not care if people are in need.

If I had no worries when it comes to money, I would volunteer at schools to teach art and art history. I would work on developing my company, I would take time to help people and focus on others rather than myself. I would spend time with the people that are important to me. Oh yeah and I would travel the world. I do not ask for much, do I?