I can see clearly now

by Karen Balice-Gregory

Now that I have been officially retired for a couple of years, I find it difficult to imagine working a regular nine-to-five job let alone one that involves a lot of traveling. For nearly 30 years I spent at least 10 hours a day away from home supporting my family and usually had part-time jobs to supplement my income. When you're young you have the energy and the motivation to do whatever it takes to stay afloat (thank God!). As the years pass and you start to slow down, you begin to review things in retrospect and examine your priorities then and now and how you actually got from point A to point B.

Listening to all the talking heads and politicians about the state of our economy I become overwhelmed if not confused about how we got here, why we let it happen and whether or not it can be resolved. Regardless of all the opinions, programs and very complicated explanations I know one thing for sure:

It is all very personal when it happens to you, or a family member or close friend. It's tough to absorb all the contradictions when you are dealing with your own crisis.

With the exception of the exorbitantly wealthy people in the world, this economic crunch has touched the lives of many who are not prepared. Even though, as a country, we should have all seen in coming, the denial factor has played a great part in our being either unable or unwilling to be proactive if not preventative in our efforts. Many of us became far too dependent on our leaders to make good decisions and frankly it is easier to go along with the program rather than do the homework to protect ourselves against the odds. That all elusive “common sense” element has somehow escaped us...or maybe it just couldn't keep up with modern technology and the instant gratification of it all. In our quest to “have it all” because “someone” taught us that we were entitled to it, we lost sight of so many of the characteristics of our ancestors. Work ethic, going without in the short term for long term gains, and pride of ownership are just a few of the lessons that many of us skipped over while we enjoyed alleged abundance.

All of this has reminded me of my own “dire straights” back in the 80's when I was laid off from my only source of income. Fortunately, I was given the option (by the Union I was in) to bump down into a lower position but at the time I was dangerously close to parting ways with my employer whom I believed had treated me unfairly. It took me several years to work up to the position that I had and I had finally become comfortable in it despite the fact that it was by far the most stressful job I could have. My parents wisely pointed out to me that I did not have the luxury of choice in this situation because my children had to be considered first and foremost. Decisions that I had made to this point dictated my responsibility and obligations. I took the bump, stuck it out and eventually landed in the job of my dreams. I was eventually recalled to the old job but again, with the help of wise parents, decided to turn in down because the money factor did not override the stress factor that I couldn't emotionally afford. I learned the hard way that professions do not dictate who you are and that the old adage "money isn't everything" is more truth than fiction.

Yes, I'd rather be rich and maybe it would be nice to be a powerful enough position to change the world but in the end it's the balance of regrets that we struggle with. Hindsight being 20/20, I truly believe that time is far more precious than anything else; time with family, time with friends, time relaxing, time to grieve, time to teach and time to learn. You can't buy it in any marketplace in the world no matter how much you're willing to pay for it.