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Half Full Or Half Empty

You often hear people tell you to count your blessings, and you usually want to punch them in the face when they say it. You’re usually in the middle of a good complaining jag and you don’t want anyone to offer you solutions as you get good and worked up.

The truth about being grateful for what you have comes from an inner realization. When you’re relaxed, and with people you love you might notice a sunset, or relish the flavor of a steak and say, “man, I got it pretty good.”

The other day I was in a funk and thinking things were pretty bleak for me, I had to get ready for a gig and as I pulled open the shower curtain I noticed my soap was getting small. I have soap in reserve under the sink, so I took the old, small bar and tossed it. Not a very profound moment for me to notice that things could be worse, but how bad could it be when I am throwing away soap? I have it good enough that I don’t have to lather up with a sliver, trying not to drop it before it goes down the drain.

The problem with us is we are a show-off society and MTV Cribs is partly to blame. Remember that show? Some musician who sucked, flaunted his house to the camera’s, and you would sit there on Saturday afternoon thinking your life sucked because the bass player from Limp Bizkit has Italian marble in his kitchen. Now we see those same houses on reality shows because they were probably rented for Cribs and we wonder how anyone could pay the utilities.

I live, by some standards, an austere lifestyle. I drive a shitty car, but I have more than one watch, can buy a hardcover book when I have to have it, and I can feed my sushi cravings most of the time. And for that I’m grateful, but when you hear about people flying private and blowing ten grand a hand in Vegas, you start to feel a little fucked. I freak out about bills, and don’t know how I’ll retire,  but I can get through the day. Just don’t cram your caviar dreams into my face while I’m trying not hunt down a meter maid who gave me a ticket I haven’t budgeted for.

Ignorance is bliss, but being broke is no joke. Maybe next time I won’t throw out the soap.

Life and Appliances

Growing up I thought it was the height of luxury to find out my neighbors had a refrigerator in the kitchen and the basement. Other friend’s parents had an extra fridge in the garage. We had the standard kitchen-only fridge policy and it was just fine.

In LA I couch surfed before I moved into an apartment that had an old fridge whose freezer was frozen solid. I suppose I could have defrosted the fridge, but I was worried my Gatorade might spoil. I moved out of that place, partly because it had an interior beehive and moved into my current spot.

My new place didn’t come with a fridge. I haven’t had to worry about this shit since birth, now I’m in the market for the biggest appliance in the store. I bought used and got a year out of the first one, bought used again, got a couple more years out of that, and that croaked too. I wised-up and bought new, because you get what you pay for, but this grown-up shit sucks sometimes.