If there is one thing I have learned in class this semester, it is that our beliefs can totally dictate how we think and feel and act. I’ve also learned from life, not class, that like-minded beliefs among people that gather get amplified. Get a bunch of crabby people together and then you’ll be surrounded by negativity. If a group of more positive people get together, stand back because amazing things could start happening. They might throw a party or change the world. Whatever happens, it’ll probably be good.
So Little Time
I must say that time just flies by. So many thoughts run through my head that I want to blog about, but then life keeps moving and I forget to sit down and write. While I get myself more organized, you can look below at who’s been on my mind this morning.
In Memoriam: Helen Mae Eiler
Andrea’s grandmother, affectionately known as Mum Mum, passed away at 7:30 this morning. She was 95 and in ill health so we know she’s finally at peace and no longer suffering. However unsurprising her passing was, the family is still sad at her loss.
I would highly encourage you to read Andrea’s blog post about Mum Mum.
Getting More Fun
Linnea has been more and more fun to hang out with lately. Instead of just laying there crying or sleeping, she is finally starting to watch us and react to us. I love that.
Consider these pictures.
Daddy is singing to his daughter
Do I look like my daddy?
The first picture was me trying to learn/sing Coldplay songs to her while they played on the stereo. She seemed mesmerized by my guitar; so much fun. The second picture was taken by Andrea and she (along with the rest of planet earth) says that Linnea looks just like me in it. I don’t even think she looks like herself in the picture much less me. I think she looks like she just woke up from a nap and is still groggy. However, I guess that’s not far off from me considering how few hours of sleep I have been getting lately. I guess that must mean I’m looking ragged these days…but, in any case, she’s still cute. I can’t wait for her to get even more interactive!
growing up
The other couples in our small group just left about an hour ago after watching the 3rd installment of Financial Peace University: the budget lesson. We had a good time as always and spent time afterward chatting about how we’ve spent our money in the past–good and bad. One observation about the lesson that came out during our conversation is how many forms were included in it. There is the form where you can determine your net worth; the form where you plan out the big picture of your budget (3 pages worth); the form you use if you have irregular income; the form that helps you determine how each paycheck is going to be spent. It’s a lot of pages and, frankly, a lot of work for us beginners. It feels a little overwhelming sometimes and I think we all may have had the thought cross our minds that we can’t handle it; that this budgeting stuff is simply over our heads and that it’s much easier to just do what we want to do. OK, I can’t speak for everyone else in the group…but I am speaking for myself.
After everyone left the thought occurred to me though that this may be what real life is like. Maybe adulthood was never meant to be easy and that we can’t find magic bullet solutions to our problems. I thought about students I deal with each day. They don’t think about the content of their classes being useful. They want to choose the classes and teachers that are the easiest to pass. But, if these students really need to know statistics in their career, will the teacher that doesn’t challenge them really help them succeed? Won’t their education be sort of worthless?
Dealing with money is hard. I hate all the jargon that’s out there and all the gimmicks and scams that try to play on our ignorance. This means I have to really think and really try to understand what’s happening. I also hate stopping myself from getting the extra coffee during the day or just swinging by the In-N-Out on the way home from work. Habits are hard to break; discipline is unpleasant; but isn’t the process of challenging ourselves for a purpose? What if these moments of giving into our desires means we cannot achieve what we really want out of life? Is it OK to regularly treat ourselves when it means that we’re not prepared for unexpected events?
I know these things are really hard to do but maybe that means we need to become adults. Maybe we’ve been children this whole time and haven’t really been living life honestly. I certainly came to this conclusion about myself. It was easier to plug my ears and pretend the problems weren’t there but that decision ultimately makes life unhappy.
Let’s grow up, everyone, and be real men and women that can handle life and not just get tossed around by it!
