Life is good and I have much to be grateful for.

Indeed, sir! Every day I think the same thing...

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My name is DP, and I approve this message.

"Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime."- Lavrentiy Beria

In the U.S., most of us do BUT, few seem to realize it. After working 50+ years (in a variety of jobs, the last job for 32+ years) I am blessed to have a pension on which I can live comfortably. I realy pisses me off that SOOOOOOOO many people who have NOT put in the work think that they're entitled to the same (or better) benefits/lifestyle of those who HAVE put in the work.

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testcase
In the U.S., most of us do BUT, few seem to realize it. After working 50+ years (in a variety of jobs, the last job for 32+ years) I am blessed to have a pension on which I can live comfortably. I realy pisses me off that SOOOOOOOO many people who have NOT put in the work think that they're entitled to the same (or better) benefits/lifestyle of those who HAVE put in the work.

That took a quick turn from a positive, upbeat thought to...
not...

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maco
Life is good and I have much to be grateful for.

Happy for you - I'm sure you thought this day would never come...

Deleted. This isn't a random thoughts thread...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 11:09PM by MikeF.

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testcase
In the U.S., most of us do BUT, few seem to realize it. After working 50+ years (in a variety of jobs, the last job for 32+ years) I am blessed to have a pension on which I can live comfortably. I realy pisses me off that SOOOOOOOO many people who have NOT put in the work think that they're entitled to the same (or better) benefits/lifestyle of those who HAVE put in the work.

I couldn't agree more. I know so many people who worked two jobs and busted their butts doing backbreaking labor all their lives to put food in the mouths of their children and a roof over their heads and have nothing to show for it. Now they want to collect social security and sit around doing nothing on my dime. Or something like that.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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hal

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maco
Life is good and I have much to be grateful for.

Happy for you - I'm sure you thought this day would never come...

Thanks you hal. That is a big part of this reflection, that I have adjusted to this "new life." That my children are doing well. I was easy to please before, but that @#$%& is right off the charts now. I'm feeling a huge sense of peace and of contentment.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 07:53PM by maco.

Just in time for depressing comic week. I was starting to become diabetic.



CW2V

I am thankful for a lot of things, but very sad about others: loss of loved ones, etc.

[www.youtube.com]

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The Phorum Wall keeps us safe from illegal characters and words
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of one's own ignorance. -Benjamin Franklin
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Speedy

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testcase
In the U.S., most of us do BUT, few seem to realize it. After working 50+ years (in a variety of jobs, the last job for 32+ years) I am blessed to have a pension on which I can live comfortably. I realy pisses me off that SOOOOOOOO many people who have NOT put in the work think that they're entitled to the same (or better) benefits/lifestyle of those who HAVE put in the work.

I couldn't agree more. I know so many people who worked two jobs and busted their butts doing backbreaking labor all their lives to put food in the mouths of their children and a roof over their heads and have nothing to show for it. Now they want to collect social security and sit around doing nothing on my dime. Or something like that.

Speedy, I have NO problem with anybody who's worked for years collecting Social Security. SS should be MUCH better but, back in the 1960's during Lyndon Johnson's term, SS was raided (ahem, funds were BORROWED) to pay for Johnson's "Great Society" programs. I've read that early on, actual IOUs were written out (I have NO idea as to where such IOUs were kept and, years ago, written IOUs were stopped). Of course, those millions (billions?) were NEVER repaid. That was money ALL workers (and employers) HAD to pay so that there would be $$$ available to cover them when they retired and started to collect SS. Currently in NY, politicians have raided the Insurance Fund. The last figure I've read was 4.3 BILLION DOLLARS. The politicians have for years, tried to raid state pension money BUT, those funds are protected by the state constitution. That's a huge reason why politicians are pushing HARD to convene a Constitutional Convention. If they can pull that off, they can change the rules and steal the money. There are currently TWO propositions to vote on amending the state constitution (re convicted politicians and the Adirondack State Park) so, the state constitution CAN and HAS been amended WITHOUT the need and expense of convening a State Constitutional Convention. I've read that the last CC cost over $200,000,000.00! The estimates for a new CC tops $500.000.000.00 (small change when you're pissing away other people's money I guess).

As for the guy who "broke his back" working to put food on the table, of course, he's entitled to every penny of SS he's entitled to. It IS truly a shame that he didn't do SOME planning for his future (maybe he didn't think he'd live that long?). I sure as hell wouldn't want to get by on SS alone.

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ka jowct
I am thankful for a lot of things, but very sad about others: loss of loved ones, etc.

I hear you there. My Dad passed away 12 years ago. My Mom passed away 14 years ago. My oldest sister passed away 10 years ago. My best friend of 37 years, of whom I was married to for 28 of those years, passed away 5+ years ago. Sending good thoughts your way ka jowct.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 09:07PM by maco.

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testcase

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Speedy

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testcase
In the U.S., most of us do BUT, few seem to realize it. After working 50+ years (in a variety of jobs, the last job for 32+ years) I am blessed to have a pension on which I can live comfortably. I realy pisses me off that SOOOOOOOO many people who have NOT put in the work think that they're entitled to the same (or better) benefits/lifestyle of those who HAVE put in the work.

I couldn't agree more. I know so many people who worked two jobs and busted their butts doing backbreaking labor all their lives to put food in the mouths of their children and a roof over their heads and have nothing to show for it. Now they want to collect social security and sit around doing nothing on my dime. Or something like that.

Speedy, I have NO problem with anybody who's worked for years collecting Social Security. SS should be MUCH better but, back in the 1960's during Lyndon Johnson's term, SS was raided (ahem, funds were BORROWED) to pay for Johnson's "Great Society" programs. I've read that early on, actual IOUs were written out (I have NO idea as to where such IOUs were kept and, years ago, written IOUs were stopped). Of course, those millions (billions?) were NEVER repaid. That was money ALL workers (and employers) HAD to pay so that there would be $$$ available to cover them when they retired and started to collect SS.

Those IOUs are kept locked up by the SSA and presented to the US Treasury when the funds are needed to pay out SS. There are a lot of people (mainly politicians) who claim that SS doesn't contribute to the National Debt, but I don't believe that's true since SSA can call those IOUs anytime it wants to and the Treasury needs to come up with the funds to cover the IOUs.

SS is NOT an entitlement, it is (or was) a basic retirement savings account that was paid for by workers and their employers. Unfortunately far to many people figured it was the only retirement plan they would need and did nothing to supplement their own savings for retirement. On top of that politicians not only raided (borrowed) all the money but they also expanded SS to actually make it an entitlement for many who did not contribute to it when they were or should have been working.

Barry Goldwater was wrong when he said back in 1964 that SS would be bankrupt and gone by the time those of use who were just entering the workforce back then got to retirement age. Some of us listened and believed him though, and worked hard at not only contributing to SS but also at setting up and funding alternative retirement accounts - pension, 401K, retirement savings, etc. For us, SS is now just icing on the cake, or as some of us say, gas money for the RV.

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maco

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ka jowct
I am thankful for a lot of things, but very sad about others: loss of loved ones, etc.

I hear you there. My Dad passed away 12 years ago. My Mom passed away 14 years ago. My oldest sister passed away 10 years ago. My best friend of 37 years, of whom I was married to for 28 of those years, passed away 5+ years ago. Sending good thoughts your way ka jowct.

That's really rough. I still have my brother, but we have almost nothing in common. My mom has been gone since 1999, my dad since 2014. The love of my life and closest friend died in 1990. And so it goes. I've thought about my mother in particular recently, and wish I could tell her how much I owe her.

I accept that these losses are inevitable if one lives long enough, but they are not any less sad.

Don't know if I wrote about this before, but one day i decided I wanted fish and chips, thought it would be nice to sit down and be waited on, and thought it would be nice if a certain female friend joined me. Well she wasn't home and didn't answer the phone and it was getting late so i set off by myself. The place i went to was empty and dark and depressing and I didn't want to be there. So i got the fish and chips to go (they were excellent by the way) and on my way home, while realizing nothing had turned out the way I wanted that day, I realized I was content with my life. Wasn't gleeful, just felt like everything was okay anyway, really just felt at peace. Got home to a message from the friend, 20 minutes after i left, saying she would love to go if I hadn't left already. I wasn't even upset. Instead of thinking "goddammit if she had just called, or I'd waited, another twenty minutes…," I thought "How nice she wanted to go with me."
It's been over a year and I keep that feeling of contentment alive even tho a lot of @#$%& has gone down and is still happening, since then.
Maybe it's because I'm 72, or maybe I'm on to something, but I feel like "ya know, this is the only time I have (and even if the Buddhists are right, the next time will be very different) and I'm not going to sweat the small stuff anymore"—and I realize that, really, it's all small stuff. Every loss, every death, every disappointment. They all hurt and deserve the moments of pain we feel in them, but on the whole, this world is as happy as you want to make it. Your choice.

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And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Western Massachusetts



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 10:13PM by blooz.

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blooz
Don't know if I wrote about this before, but one day i decided I wanted fish and chips, thought it would be nice to sit down and be waited on, and thought it would be nice if a certain female friend joined me. Well she wasn't home and didn't answer the phone and it was getting late so i set off by myself. The place i went to was empty and dark and depressing and I didn't want to be there. So i got the fish and chips to go (they were excellent by the way) and on my way home, while realizing nothing had turned out the way I wanted that day, I realized I was content with my life. Wasn't gleeful, just felt like everything was okay anyway, really just felt at peace. Got home to a message from the friend, 20 minutes after i left, saying she would love to go if I hadn't left already. I wasn't even upset. Instead of thinking "goddammit if she had just called, or I'd waited, another twenty minutes…," I thought "How nice she wanted to go with me."
It's been over a year and I keep that feeling of contentment alive even tho a lot of @#$%& has gone down and is still happening, since then.
Maybe it's because I'm 72, or maybe I'm on to something, but I feel like "ya know, this is the only time I have (and even if the Buddhists are right, the next time will be very different) and I'm not going to sweat the small stuff anymore"—and I realize that, really, it's all small stuff. Every loss, every death, every disappointment. They all hurt and deserve the moments of pain we feel in them, but on the whole, this world is as happy as you want to make it. Your choice.

So true!

And I am grateful for my cyber friends here that I have known for so many years! Cheers to all of us! Cheers to you minty and to all that have passed.

Today I was invited to go on a lunch time bike ride with two guys who are about 20 years younger than me. It was ROUGH! At the end I was utterly drained. They hammered up the hills and kindly waited for me at the summits. As I was riding alongside them for a while I mentioned that they were faster because they were younger and skinnier than me and one said "no, we're not, we're all about the same". That made me feel great because I know that in fact I am at least 20 years older than them (and at least 20 pounds heavier). I very much appreciate their waiting at the hilltops for me to catch up.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 10:38PM by davester.

Lot of dirt in this thread..

I know plenty of folks, and you guys know plenty of folks..who know plenty of folks..who work their entire lives and CAN'T put away a nest egg..

Are you freakin' kidding me?

It feels like some smart people here are either being acutely absurd or are living in a freakin' bubble. People are struggling everywhere in this country and in huge numbers..most don't have pensions..seems so foreign to me..a pension..some gettem, most don't..

I feel the same way Maco, Life is good when it's good..I count my blessings..

The last two weeks for me and some people i know wasn't so good..I went to two funerals over the last weekend..One Friday and one on Saturday..Both were for Sons of folks I grew up with, Black families from the South Side of my city, Chicago

..Friday's Son, 35 years, committed suicide driven by sheer hopeless feelings about his future and status.. Saturday's Son, 21 years, was murdered in Columbia Missouri three weeks ago..Let me tell you that both of these funeral homes were cranking out funerals on those days..life expectancy on the South and West Sides of Chicago is a little different than it is on the North side,,

And, before I got this news I learned that a guy from my old block, a guy I've known since I was three, who was in the Trade Centers when the planes hit..who escaped but lost a lot of friends and co-workers that day..never recovered from this and has lived the years after 911 in a deep depression, hung himself several weeks ago..His Sister, who is my age and who I'm close to, called me a week ago to tell me this..no funeral here, her family is going into a bubble to deal with this..we had a long talk about whether this was the right thing..I disagreed.

When we feel that life IS good for us..always remember that life is not being good to so many others at any given moment..give much more than you take is good policy..Something my Mom lived by and I try to..not as good at as she was but I try..all of you %$^#$%&%^&^&*%^&$%^&* should too..bitching about SS and folks who might not be working as hard as you..you don't really know their story or their mental / social state..one by one..@#$%& gets heavy.

Kraniac, lots of good points.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2017 07:57AM by ka jowct.

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maco
Life is good and I have much to be grateful for.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward.

Thanks for the present, maco!

.. give me the patience to accept that which I cannot change....

My outlook on life changed rather dramatically 17 years ago when I died (temporarily... totally not a zombie...).

I smile more.
I laugh more.
I love my wife and family more.
I worry a whole lot less.
I meditate for calmness and peace. In the midst of stress and trauma, I find calm and peace.

After all.... what's the worst that can happen. I die, right ? Did that, got the helicopter ride !

....just more randos......

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

I guess random includes the good and the bad.

So, life has been good. Both my wife and I have our health, and we have 3 wonderful children, all doing well. My mom left this world in 2011. She was nearly 92. She had good years and bad. Her raising 4 children as a single mom makes me question whether the good ones outweighed the bad.

The man I thought was my father died in '68--a murder victim on the west side of...yes, Chicago. However, earlier this year, I learned the identity of my biological father, potentially a good thing, except that his caretaker and gatekeeper--my half sister--wants nothing to do with me. He's 93, so based on my DNA contributors, my life expectancy looks good.

As for my dime, just me and the wife at home. However, I have a niece--yes, living on the west side of Chicago--who gets a check from me each month. Also my daughter receives a check to pay tuition for Montessori school for my granddaughter, and there are about a dozen checks that go out to variety of charities each month. If someone benefits from my contributions, I don't worry about whether they "deserve it". After all, what's the point of having a dime if I hide it away?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2017 03:37PM by Billybob.

.....life is randomness......

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Let's all remember......



Life's a bitch..........



and then you die.

....savor the good moments....can be few and far between......

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

What did Warren Zevon say? Enjoy every sandwich? Yes, yes I do.

Ok, I looked up the quote. He said this on his last appearance on Letterman, his good friend.

“You put more value on every minute...You know I always kinda thought I did that. I really always enjoyed myself. But it’s more valuable now. You’re reminded to enjoy every sandwich and every minute.”

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Mr. Lahey: A lot of people, don’t know how to drink. They drink against the grain of the liquor. And when you drink against the grain of the liquor? You lose.

Randy: What the @#$%& are you talking about?

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blooz
Maybe it's because I'm 72,

My father is 74 and cant even figure out the internet, let alone post to a forum like this. Heck, bet he cant even type worth a damn... so you are several legs up in my book.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I have several senior friends (70's & 80's) who are very competent with the internet and other modern technologies (as was my mother who, well into her 70's was comfortable using technology until her death). I believe it's mostly a conscious decision people make as to whether they'll accept and learn new things. You CAN "teach old dogs new tricks". I don't EVER expect to stop learning (heck, I learn new things on this forum regularly!).