My wife Susie recently had a week off from her job. Being an online marketer gave me the latitude to take some time off with her while still keeping up with my business. That’s certainly one of the advantages of having an online business.
One thing that we have always enjoyed together is long walks on the beach at sunrise. Living less than a mile from the ocean makes it possible for us to take our walks every weekend when we want. having a home based business makes it easier to take our walks more often when Susie is on vacation.
On Friday of her vacation we decided to drive to a nearby town to pick up some chlorine for our swimming pool, stop by our favorite nautical novelty shop, and take a short drive. We went to the beach first for our walk and then started out to do our errands. When we arrived at the pool supply store at about 8:30 in the morning, we realized they didn’t open until 9:00. Having a half hour to wait, we decided to drive north on U.S. 1 to the next small town, then drive back south on A1A, which would take us through one of the most beautiful as well as one of the most affluent communities in the country.
Susie suggested that we stop and get a snack to carry us until lunch. We stopped at a filling station/convenience store to pick something up. The man behind the checkout counter was my buddy Dave. I know Dave from the mortgage business. He was an Account Rep for a very large mortgage lender. Dave and I used to meet several times each month to see how I could do more business with his lender. Dave was great and really knows the mortgage business well. When Dave saw me, he explained how he had to get a job in order to stay current financially. I was saddened to see Dave in that situation, and relieved to know he was doing o.k.
Susie and I bought our snacks and drove toward A1A. The “Beautiful Island” was a short distance and as we were driving down A1A, my emotions were getting the best of me. First seeing Dave, once a proud professional, and also driving through one of the most beautiful and well kept ocean side communities in the country. All the mansions are huge and the lawns are so well manicured. Some very famous people with names such as Tiger and Celine own homes along this drive and it just screams wealth at every turn.
While driving, I also thought about those who kept this place looking so great. I wondered how long some of them had been in this country, how they must feel to be working in such a beautiful environment, and actually what it must feel like to them just to be able to live in this country.
We arrived back at the pool supply store, picked up the chlorine, and drove to the nautical novelty store. They weren’t going to be open for about another 10 minutes so we decided to visit the charity thrift store next door. I was back in the television section when the announcer broke in on the “Today Show” with breaking news. It was President George W. Bush urging Congress to pass the $700,000,000.00 bailout. After visiting our nautical novelty store to pick up a few remembrances of Susie’s (and my) vacation, we headed for home.
I thought about that Friday for a long time, still do occasionally. Thought about those fortunate enough to live on the “Beautiful Island” and how unaffected they are by today’s economy. Then my thoughts go to those wonderful lawn keepers who keep the island so beautiful and how unaffected they are. Then I think about my buddy Dave and all of the others in the “middle” who are so deeply affected. So many whose dreams have changed dramatically and whose future is somewhat clouded.
My thoughts are also these; have you seen this coming and if so for how long? And also, what are you doing to secure your and your family’s financial future?