Thursday, December 24, 2015

A different American dream

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the poverty threshold for a single-person household (or vanhold, I assume) is currently $11,770 annual income. Thanks to Social Security, I'm above the poverty line.

By the standards of my former job-holding, house-owning, middle-class life, though, I'm poor. Really poor. Burger flipping poor. Floor mopping poor. Lettuce picking poor. No American Dream® for you poor.

But I'm the happiest I've been in a long time.

The American Dream is expensive. Not just in dollars. It takes a toll on our mental and physical health as well. And if we manage to attain the American Dream, we become fearful of losing it.

Well, here I am, without the trappings of the American Dream. And life is good. I'm contented. I'm at peace. I'm fortunate.

7 comments:

  1. Good on ya, Al! Merry Christmas, and all that jazz :D

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  2. There's a lot to be grateful for no matter what choice one makes in how to live. Hoping you enjoy whatever it is that you may, or may not, celebrate. Personally, I'm decorating my pole: happy festivus!

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    1. I "decorated my pole" a lot when I was a teenager.

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    2. I'm half laughing but mostly rolling my eyes at that one. I'll just reiterate again, happy festivus (or whatever).

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    3. My online research says that the festivus pole is supposed to be un decorated.

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    4. Hmmmmm, maybe he meant "desecrating."

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  3. If you are content, then you are much richer than most people in this world. As long as you can cover your basic needs, it's all good.

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