Frugal Living Today

Okay, so the title of this post is a bit misleading.  First off, we aren’t married and can’t be.  Second, our relationship was never in trouble.  Now that we have that part out of the way…

With the insanity that has consumed the U.S. in the recent days regarding AIG, Merrill Lynch, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, the entire country has started to take on a deer in the headlights appearance that you can even sense on telephone calls.

My partner is in a stressful line of work that is affected heavily by the markets and it has definitely been taking a toll at home.  We went for a walk last night as we do every night and our desperately different views on life came - for a fleeting moment - to be closer than ever.

I was being grilled on savings and why money didn’t mean the same to me as it did to him.  That’s when it hit me.  I started talking before I even thought:

You and I are really no different.  You want money for the future; to make sure you and those you love will be cared for in the way you want.  You want to be financially sound and to live comfortably, and to leave enough money after you’re gone to do the same for me.

I want the same thing.  My goal is to be able to save enough money to purchase a nice sized piece of land build a modest house and start my own farm.  I don’t need stockpiles of money once I get that paid for because the income from organic produce and other related pursuits will more than sustain me.

You see, our destination is the same - comfort, security, love.   We’re just taking two different routes to get there.

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at me.  It wasn’t that look I’m so used do that reveals his belief in my insanity, this time it wasn’t even close to that.

He understood.  He finally understood.

At that moment we turned a metaphorical corner right about the same time we turned the actual one and walked back home.

The only major change was unspoken as understanding is often known to go.   Understanding is a major change, however and one that I consider at the top of my priority lists when it comes to life and people.  The guy who made fun of me for making my own Heinz 57 Sauce (when he’s the one who laps it up like a starving dog) finally understood the most basic and essential part of who I am.

The economy might be in the crapper and I still don’t have that dream farm but for that night - for that single moment in time - my beliefs made sense to a non-believer.

Score one for Frugal Living.