As my birthdays begin to fly by like leaves in the wind, I find myself thinking more and more about past mistakes, great accomplishments and what the future has in store for me. Funny how things change from one year to the next, isn't it? Not too long ago, I knew exactly what my future was. I planned on retiring by the age of 60 with more than enough money to support my wife and I comfortably. We would travel and do all of the things we sacrificed doing so our children could enjoy their childhood and be able to go to college. With 25 plus years at the same job, I felt as secure as I have ever felt in my life, and knew my paycheck was going to be there every week. And my wife, an ever hard working mom, shared in the bread winning. We were on top of the world...once upon a time.
Now I wonder if we did too much. Had we spent our money unwisely and not saved enough? Was it wise to buy a vacation home or should we have put that money away for a rainy day? All of the toys and things that weren't necessary, just because we could. Why, I ask myself, why? Because I could? Oh my gosh, what have we done?
One year later and things are drastically different. The economy has taken it's toll on everyone, including me. Decisions had to be made at work and the once brilliant salary I took for granted was cut, ever so slightly, but just enough to hurt. At the same time, my wife's company was looking to make cuts to save as well. Furloughs they call them, but that's just a fancy word for "work less hours". The question at hand now isn't, "will I be able to retire?" The real question now is, "will we be able to survive this?"

Comments
RalpapajanSep 14, 2011
Ex-hubberJul 8, 2011
GuestJul 8, 2011
I wish you all the best.
Ex-hubberJul 5, 2011
TerriRexsonJul 5, 2011
Ex-hubberJun 26, 2011
MicheyJun 26, 2011
Today is Sunday, instead to be in the Church I am at my PC, just posted a new post in Wizzley... and I have a long 'list to do" in front of me...
I agree with all you said, but for me just a little better is not enough, the economy is still in trouble, and with the debts we have as a nation, if will be a recovery which will be so slow, frankly, I don't know if our generation will get to the point to profit.
So I consider that all I have and can count on is my hard work, and determination to make it happen.
Thanks for a great post
Regards