Small blessings.

[bladespark]

I somethimes think that everyone should spend a few years living a deprived life. Not "starving to death in a third world country" deprived, I'm not that mean, but I think that everyone would benefit from having a few years where you can chose to pay the electricity bill, or get food, but not both.

That's how I was raised. Up until I was about... 16 or so, it was literally that bad. We were on church welfare for a while, which means that the church fed us*, so that we could use the money to pay the rent. And even up until I moved out this last year, my parents still scrimped and pinched, and we never had enough money, though some of that of late is because of their priorities, and good quality food was pretty low on the list. We had school lunck leftovers sometimes, because my Mom was a lunch lady. You have not scraped the bottom of the dining world's barrel until you've had school lunch leftovers.

But no more!

Until you've been there, you just can't understand how wonderful it is to just be able to buy food. I am sometimes still amazed at the thought. I can go to the grocery store, and not only can I afford something other than ramen, potatoes, and plain pasta, I can get the name brand rather than the generic. I can actually buy a TV dinner if I don't feel like cooking, and I can get the Marie Callender's rather than the Western Family. I can do that! I remember when I thought it was horribly extravagant to buy cheese at all, and now not only can I buy cheese, but I can get the good Tillamook stuff! I can spend a whole $8 on a block of cheese without wincing. Isn't that great? And it gets even better! I can eat out! And it doesn't have to be the dollar menu at Burger King or McD's! If I go to Burger King, I can get the $6 combo! And it still gets better because once in a while I can go have STEAK! I had NEVER had real steak in my entire life, until I was about 22 or so. Never! It was too espensive, we almost never had meat, and when we did it was chicken, or maybe hamburger. And wow, I was missing so much. Steak is wonderful! I can buy steak! At a restraunt, where they will cook it just right for me! Can you buy steak? If you can, do you know how incredibly lucky you are?

*I just have to edit this and add that I think that system has a lot going for it, because it gives you what you NEED, stuff like food, maybe shelter, etc., rather than just paying you money that you can go out and piss away on stupid stuff instead of feeding your children with it.

Comments

[silveradept]

While I've never been that low (yet, I could still be working on getting there once I get out of university), I've had frugality put into my brain from day one... and seen some of the effects that happen when it's not there. If it weren't for gracious support from people, well, I'd probably know it all too intimately. We'll see how I fare when the loans come due.

Is it wrong to hope you never get to that point, while simultaneously realizing the inability to truly appreciate someone who's been there and came back?

[2dlife.livejournal.com]

I think what SPark was trying to say is that she hopes everyone learns the lessons of deep appreciation for hardship and frugality and the gifts one has now. Ideally, they shouldn't have to suffer thus to learn it, but such suffering automatically leads to such learning.

[silveradept]

Perhaps if everyone suffered that sort of life for a time, everyone would work harder at trying to make sure nobody suffered that kind of life at any time. That could be my optimism speaking, though.