Jim and I have conversations that most other people do not have. Today, we had to go to Manchester, NH, to do some errands, and while we were driving there, he mentioned an author that he’d recently been reading. The writer had exclaimed that the “baby-boom” generation was the first generation in history…that is, in all of time…that did not know “want.”
Of course, I pointed out the exceptions to that rule because I am aware of minority populations that, to this day, are extremely impoverished. One has to look no further, for example, than to the American Indian reservation in South Dakota where my family has done missionary work. I suppose we have to look at poor areas of the South, as well as to the homeless, who have no home because of fate, or circumstance, or mental illness.
However, I do see the author’s point about Americans being affluent. I never went to bed hungry, or had no decent clothes to wear, or had to forego a Saturday afternoon movie matineé, as a kid. The family had sufficient income and we were warm, had a car, and otherwise, “got by.”
Most Americans like to think of themselves as “middle class” whether they come by their money as day laborers or not. I was always told that we were “middle class.” Growing up, I wouldn’t have understood the difference because I was only surrounded by others like us.
The head of neither of our families received professional wages. We were not “rich” by anyone’s standards. With four children in my family and six children in Jim’s family, our mothers could not be extravagant. They realized from the Depression years that if you choose to have “this,” then perhaps, you may not be able to have “that.” In spite of financial constraints, it seems that both mothers had what they wanted, in part, because both of them earned an independent income.
At one time, the idea of women going to work for money was almost never considered, except in the most dire circumstances. During World War II, women in the workplace became the accepted norm, a la “Rosie the Riveter.” Many women today can’t conceive of the idea of “staying home.” What would they do, after all? Often, families today have come to depend on a second income to “float the boat.”
While Americans are in an enviable position of earning enough money for their basic needs, plus many other “extras,” I sometimes wonder how often they (we) stop what we are doing, long enough to be grateful.
The other day, I was home alone for lunch. I debated on what to have. That, in itself, is something to appreciate…that I had choices! I decided to heat up some leftover Fried Rice from Chinese take-out, some leftover peas, a piece of leftover cornbread that Jim had made, and I topped off the meal with a little pre-packaged amount of applesauce.
Suddenly, I felt very grateful! I realized that everything I was eating someone else had grown, processed, or prepared. That realization was more amazing than I can describe, and I said a silent prayer of thanks for all of those unknown people who had prepared this feast, just for me! I felt so loved and as if someone were watching out for me.
As Jim is always reminding me, the key to happiness is gratitude. I think that I understand.
Pat
