As I settle into my post-holiday funk,
I am eying 2014 with more trepidation than optimism. Although I've
managed to somehow financially hang on since I moved to South
Carolina, it has never been with any degree of comfort. I haven't
been able to relax or, even momentarily, take my eye off the ball –
not once in seven years.
I am one of the fortunate ones who owns his home. |
If I was trying to support a family,
had a kid in college, making a mortgage payment or even had a car
payment, I would be S.O.L. Thankfully, none of these apply.
I've entered that no-man's land where I
am too old to be employable, and too young and unprepared to retire.
The bottom line is that as a freelance
writer, I manage to cover the bills, pay my taxes, put litter in the
cat box and even underwrite a run or two to Florida every year, but I
haven't saved a penny during the past decade. I don't expect that to
change in 2014.
I take a certain amount of pride in having kept my nose above the water line since my unceremonious separation
from AMI in 2004, but a bit of luck and some help from friends and
family contributed to my survival.
For that I am, and always will be,
grateful.
Monday, January 6th, signals
the mental, emotional start of 2014 for me. The holidays over,
reality sets in.
My plan: I'll plow forward one day at a
time, pounding it out, and somehow make it all work.
So, although I'm not particularly
optimistic about 2014 being “better,” I am determined to continue
fighting the good fight tomorrow and the day after that and the day
after that. It's what I do and have been doing for several years.
What keeps me moving forward is that I
know I'll encounter a few laughs with good friends along the way. I
guess you can't really ask for much more than that.
Was that boat actually moving with you at the helm?
ReplyDeleteWhy, yes it was. It was a "Captain Ron" moment for everyone on the boat.
ReplyDelete