Giving Stuff Up

I don't think I will get much argument from anyone when I say that the times we are living in are economically unappealing. It's the number one problem everyone has in common. It doesn't matter how much money you have in your pocket, it's never enough.

People are having to live without some things so they can make it to the next day. For some folks it's easier than others. There are different levels of poverty, obviously, so this means some people will be able to get away with spending more than others.

When I was living in Ames, looking for a job, my list of things I learned to do without was pretty long:

• Light: I just used day light, and my computer screen/cell phone by night.
• Air conditioning: mine was broken, so this was forced upon me
• A bed: I just had a mattress on the floor, which wasn't that bad.
• Clothes: since it was so hot and I didn't have money to do laundry, I figured I'd try to keep my clothes clean as long as possible by just lounging around the apartment naked...so...awesome.
• Friends: if I had made friends I would have to go out to eat with them or watch a movie together or something.
• Car: I actually still don't have one. Kind of annoying, but nice not to have to pay gas and insurance.
• Furniture: my apartment didn't come with any. Why buy tables and chairs when the floor is right there?
• Food: I had this awesome plan figured out. If there was a way for me to apply to some place online or by phone, I did it. I figured the less time I spent walking to places (remember, I didn't have a car) would be time I spent not getting tired and hungry. Since I wasn't hungry, I wouldn't need to eat as much. Even so, I got pretty sick of backed potatoes, apples, and rice that summer.

Okay, so maybe it's not that long. But it made you feel sorry for me, right? That's all I wanted anyway. Pity friends are still friends.

Today, I turned twenty-three. It's a pretty anticlimactic age, so far, but already, in the first five hours of my twenty-third year, I've done some reflecting on my life so far.

What have my parents given up so that I could live for twenty-three years and develop an identity? Well, virginity was one thing, but besides that I'm sure there have been tons of other things they could have done but left aside. Obviously their dreams of becoming millionaires went down the crapper. If you asked them about it they'd probably say something lame like, "my children have made me rich" or something like that (love you, Mom and Dad!).

Twenty-three years is a long time. I'm sure my parents' list only got longer as the years went by. Thousands of dollars of possible entertainment were wasted on their second born so that he could have a life that was full and well nourished....I don't want to have kids...

I guess, what I'm trying to say, is, "thank you, Mom and Dad, for having a good night twenty-three years ago (just...spare me the details please)."