Samantha Pierce, one of my league-mates on the Conservative Brotherhood has a refreshing habit that I never quite picked up. It's called Thankful Thursdays, a blog-style counting of blessings out loud. But I am entering a simple turn in my life, not much different from when I was in my late 20s, and part of that means looking very closely at my surroundings and having a conversation with my prior self. I always find myself amazed at the future.
I suppose I should tell you a little more about this game, which I call (you'll never guess) 'Time Machine'. I pick an historical character like John Brown or Benjamin Franklin and I pretend that I have been charged, through the Time Travel Committee, to take this individual through the wonders of the modern world. I listen to them ramble in amazement at my refrigerator, and the fact that not only does my car travel faster than a horse, but they can listen to Beethoven at the same time. Explaining electromagnetic radiation is always one of my favorite topics in Time Machine. But even contact lenses are difficult to explain to somebody who used whale oil. I really freak them out when I complain about traffic near LAX. Ben really, really wanted to meet Fred Smith of FedEx, but I told him that the committee wouldn't allow it. He got mad and then disappeared. Good. I was getting sick of Beethoven anyway.
More often than not, however, Time Machine takes a personal turn and I talk to my former self as the big brother I never had. And it is during times like those when I can count my blessings, and find out what I have done and what I have failed to do.
On this casual Friday, I would like to suggest to you that you take a trip in your own memory's time machine, but this time for the sake of your sanity in an economy that's going from super wealthy, to merely rich. Walk around your office. Look at the people. Think about how much you work now as compared to then - how much money you make now. Try explaining to Ben Franklin exactly what it is you do.
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