What have the Joneses got that I would want anyway?

While sitting at work today inputting my 900th some account, I began to wonder: why is it that people who work very hard, don't live extravagantly, who are kind to others and have solid relationships are treated like social pariahs?? Why is it that people have to have some kind of crazy lifestyle to be considered doing well?

I don't really think it has anything to with the economy, or maybe it does. Maybe this way of thinking, that we must shoot for the moon, because even if we miss, we land amongst the stars, has people so busy shooting that we don't take the time to reload. I keep coming across this term "house poor," which basically means people own way too much house, are paying way too much on it but when it comes time to unload it, they either can't or won't be able to get as much for it because they overpaid in the first place. They just had to have the biggest and the best.

Whatever happened to building your savings and your portfolio? Whatever happened to eating Ramen for a few meals so you could save up and buy something. Are we that full of ourselves that we can't save, even if it means we're literally saving our lives??

Also, whatever happened to smiling? Did I miss the memo that smiling and being friendly when out in public, especially when being waited upon, is taboo? That you have act like you have a saguaro cactus shoved up your rear in order to be out and about? Please, remove the cacti and breath. You might not be here tomorrow (and I might be in jail).

I don't have hugely grand aspirations for my life. I want Husband and I to grow old together in a home with a fenced in yard, with kids who have at least some semblance of humanity and enough that I'm not mooching off society. Husband works six days a week, gone by 6:20 am and home by 7 pm, sometimes later. I work 40 hours a week at a job where human suffering and nastiness is all day, every day. I can understand how some people can look at us and think we must be doing something wrong. But we're not. Bills are paid, on time, every month. We have our little two bedroom apartment we share with our four legged monsters. We enjoy trips to the lake with friends and pizza on Fridays and I LOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEE every minute of it. If we tried to rush and keep up with everyone who ahead of us what would that bring?? Misery, for one thing, and tunnel vision for another. It would be impossible not to become so totally focused inward that you begin to forget the bigger picture.

My microwave with my corn casserole is beeping at me. I'm glad.