Struggling single momma behind the scenes

10/30/2024

10/30/2024

👵Written by a 90 year old!!❤️
🤙42 lessons life taught me 💖
It is something we should all read at least once a week! Make sure you read to the end!
Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short – enjoy it..
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...
14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.💖
22. The most important s*x organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
25. Always choose life.
26. Forgive but don’t forget.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..
31. Believe in miracles.
32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
34. Your children get only one childhood.
35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. (I love this one)
37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.
39. The best is yet to come...
40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
41. Yield.
42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

10/11/2024

Okay, let’s set the scene :
You’re a single parent with a child .
You work full time for $14.00 hr

You bring home roughly
$800 .00 per paycheck.

Your bills:

$1, 000 . 00 / rent

$150 .00 / electrical

$250 .00 / car payment

$150 .00 / car insurance.

So let’s do the math :
You bring home about
$1,600 .00 a month , & your bills average about $1,550.00 .
( give or take )

You’re making it, but barely.
This doesn't even include groceries , internet , cable , cell phone , etc .
( nor does it include child tax credit , or child support)

Now, it’s a really cold December and you get a power bill for $600 .00
How do you pay that ?
To put it simply , you don’t.
Because you can’t .

So your power gets shut off .
But you know what your lease says ?
It says you get evicted if your utilities are terminated .

So now you’re in court crying to a judge who doesn’t care , & you have 10 days to get out .

Well you’re in luck , because you found somewhere with 3 days to spare , & it’s only $650.00 a month !
But to get in , you must pass a background & credit check .
Which you can’t , because you just got evicted .

You’ve never been a criminal , but even if you could pass it , you’re looking at $1300 .00 to move in , after paying the deposit & first month’s rent.

Time’s up ....
Landlord shows up at 7am with the police & changed your locks.

So , now you’re living in your car with your 7 year old son & everything you need to get by .

You tried to get a storage unit , but you don’t have a billing address , so they won’t sell one to you .
So you could only take what would fit in your backseat .

You pay to shower at local truck stops , & eat whatever can be cooked in a gas station microwave.
Someone sees you & your son living like this & calls C.P.S ; guess what happens next ? ? ?

They remove your child from your care .
As if this isn’t devastating enough , you lose your job too .
( Because “an employee losing their child reflects poorly on this company .” )

So now , you apply for an apartment with the region where the waiting list is 3-7 years .
Then you go into WalMart to put in an application .

When you get back to your car , you see that your back window has been smashed & someone helped themselves to your belongings .

Remember that it is December , & really cold .

Now you have damage to your only shelter .

You call your car insurance , who says your deductible is $1,000.00
~ AND ~ they’re going to increase your monthly rate since you’re now
“ high risk .”

You call the homeless shelter as a last resort.....
& all their beds are full.

I’ll stop here .....
Because I think you get the point .
The people we work with everyday are these people .
WE ARE THESE PEOPLE .

We are all so close to homelessness & don’t even realize it .

All it takes is :
* one unexpected bill📃~
* one fender bender🚙💥🚗~
* one lay-off 📊~
* one house fire 🏠🔥 , etc.

Instead of talking trash about people who are poor , homeless , or need assistance , why don’t you try being grateful that you’re not in their shoes ...... YET !

This is about staying humble & being kind .

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE ❤

I know most of you won't read this , but if you did read it
please comment a ❤

And copy & paste on your page 😊

01/15/2024

I asked one of my friend who has crossed 70 and is heading towards 80 what sort of changes he is feeling in himself? He sent me the following very interesting lines, which I would like to share with you...

1. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.

2. I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.

3. I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

4. I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.

5. I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.

6. I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.

7. I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say "Thank You.”

8. I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.

9. I walk away from people who don't value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.

10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

11. I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.

12. I have learned that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone.

13. I have learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the last.

14. I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!

Why do we have to wait to be 60 or 70 or 80, why can't we practice this at any stage and age?
Author- Unknown