I am so glad I have had the experience of being poor. I learned to be resourceful, creative, and self reliant. I can feed a lot on a little and make it taste good. I learned about natural, aka alternative, medicine. We couldn't afford doctors or pharmaceuticals. I learned what is important and necessary and what is not. I learned I can survive off what I can carry in a backpack. Most things are just extra baggage.
I learned to be thankful for each day's provision. When I was 20 I was homeless, living out of my car at Lake Parsons near Parsons Kansas. We, Johnny Bill and I, ate all the fish we could catch and some nice folks gave us eggs. I never ate so many eggs in my whole life. For a few years after this, I didn't eat eggs at all. Same with PB&J, during my first pregnancy I ate PB&J every day. Someone gave me commodity peanut butter, a huge can of it. I didn't let it go to waste.
I learned to appreciate every luxury down to the smallest thing we generally take for granted. Believe me, and pillow for your head is a luxury. Five dollars for gas money to get to work so I can make a few tips for gas money and food the next day. Five dollars made the difference on whether I ate or not. I learned that money is a tool, use it wisely, don't squander it, and don't hesitate to give it to someone who needs it more than I. Kindness to others is like a boomerang, it comes back to you.
I learned that cleaning toilets is good honest work and isn't beneath me. I learned servants are usually more generous than those being served. So no matter where I am in life, treat the maid the same as the owner. And speak to her, tell her "thank you".
Today, I don't consider myself poor. I never miss a meal, gas tank is full, bills are paid, and there's even enough to help others, and travel a little. I do hold on to those memories and lessons. I hope I never take for granted the life I enjoy and the blessings Yah has given me.
A work in progress
Teresa
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