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Economies of Scale

Posted on | October 13, 2008 | 3 Comments Leave a comment | Print This Post   

Our current economic situation has many of us in a tizzy. I, for one, have checked my Vanguard account once – ONCE! – since everything started to tank. I know … for someone who can get downright obsessive about voice mail or email, I have to say I’m a bit surprised as well. I guess I figure it’s pretty much out of my hands at this stage — Vanguard is home to our retirement accounts (ha ha ha) so there’s not much we can do and I’m not savvy enough to be buying and selling ahead of the curve. So, we wait. And hope.

One of the many things I’ve learned since being in Hawaii and significantly changing our lifestyle is how to get by with less. My feelings about this can vary given the day — on good days, I’m filled with gratitude and can look into an almost bare pantry and easily put together a meal (with leftovers!). On bad days, I’ll be disgruntled and look into an almost bare pantry and see “not enough.” If it’s a really bad day, it’ll throw me into a tailspin and I’ll end up in serious panic mode. The difference between the good and the bad days? One thing, and it’s between my ears.

My mind can make me crazy or make me joyful — I know it might seem that our environment is what has the greatest impact on us (those external things, like your partner or your boss or your kids or the $#%$^! economy), but I think it’s our mind and our beliefs. Remember the joke about the boy and the pile of horse manure?

A man has twin sons, and as they grow, he notices that they have very distinct personalities. One is ever the optimist, and the other is an inconsolable pessimist.

Well, this bothers the man. He wants to show his optimistic son that the world isn’t always bright and cheery, and he wants his pessimistic son to learn that not everything is bad. So, on their eigth birthdays, he decides to teach them these lessons.

While the boys are off at school, the man fills the pessimistic boy’s room with toys. Fantastic, wonderful toys, packed all the way to the ceiling. He fills the optimistic boy’s room with horse manure. Mounds of horse poop, packed all the way to the ceiling. He then leaves for work.

When he returns home that evening, he opens his front door and hears hysterical crying coming from the pessimistic boy’s room. Sighing, he heads in that direction to see what the problem is. “Son,” he says, “why on earth are you crying? I’ve filled your room with toys. Fantastic, wonderful toys, all the way to the ceiling. Surely you must be having a happy birthday!”

The boy just shakes his head and continues to sob, whining, “But Daaaaad, all theses toys will need batteries, and what if they break, or what if I lose them, and what if all my friends are jealous of me and my toys?”

The man shakes his head, deciding that this son is a lost cause. He moves on to the optimist’s room, to see how that boy is dealing with his birthday surprise.

When he opens the door, he sees his optimistic son dancing around, jumping into the pile of horse manure and giggling madly. The man is taken aback, and worries that this son may not be ‘all there,’ if you know what I mean. And he asks the boy, “Son, what on earth are you so happy about?”

To which the boy replies, “Well, Daddy, there’s gotta be a pony in here somewhere!”

I know – stop me if you’ve heard it before. But these days I think it bodes well for all of us to remember that no matter what happens, we don’t have to stay in a scary or stuck place. Stay there if you need to stay there for a while, but once you’re done, get out of there! Life’s too short for any of us to be scared or unhappy any more than is necessary.

Here’s to all of us finding the joy and simplicity life has to offer, even during these trying times!

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