A Life Well Lived

I often put myself in my adult kids’ shoes, who are experiencing similar situations to when I was in my 20’s, and thinking, “How can one make a living, still enjoy their abode, stay creative, and feel like life has a quality feeling, all while still being able to pay bills?”

In my first decade after leaving my mother’s home I thought playing music would be the answer. Work at night, sleep in, enjoy my lovely little apartment and companionship of pets. Little did I know that in order to maintain a steady income I would have to be on the road full-time, traveling across many states, figuring out who I trusted enough to pet-sit my fur babies, never seeing my apartment, paying for car repairs, band equipment repairs, and all the while gigs weren’t paying us more for traveling across state lines. We also had no health insurance, no bonuses, no paid vacations – it was do or die.

I see similarities in the current economy. Young people in service industries working 60+ hours a week to afford the ever-rising costs of utilities, food, rent. Heaven forbid they took out student loans. If they didn’t get vocational education there is no time left in their days now to get an education. The cost of living continues to spiral out of control, leaving people in depression, poor health, leaning into substances to ease their suffering, and caught in the vicious cycle of addiction.

Over the years, as the individual breaks down they’re eventually prescribed terrifically expensive pharma meds with loads of harmful side effects. This leads to more pharma meds to offset the effects of the first meds. Eventually invasive surgeries are recommended. All the while no one talking to them about how to repair and restore the body/mind.

The health of the individual keeps the family & community strong, which strengthens each state, and collectively creates a strong backbone to support a nation. Our country is losing its integrity and vitality because it cannot collectively agree on how to support its foundation, which is the collective individuals – the cells of this country’s body. Outside of empty promises, no one in political office seems interested in putting caps on rising costs of living. They’re too busy sleeping with the lobbyists.

We have friends from Europe who told us their country pays each person $1000 per month living wages, outside of their work income. How the individual spends it is entirely on them. I noticed a comment made my one of my kids who said that more money was made through unemployment in 2020 than in all the jobs they’ve ever worked. That speaks directly to why no one feels they should work 60+ hours a week to afford living. They’ve tasted what it was like to relax and receive money, if only for a short while.

Is the European model superior? I’m not certain of that. We’re already doing something similar, as it is. If an individual works part-time they’re eligible for food stamps and Oregon Health Plan, all of which is paid by us taxpayers anyway, so to me it’s the same diff. Give money to people as a monthly stipend, or give it in the form of food and health services. The most important end goal is to turn tax dollars into support for each individual to retrieve their health and maintain quality of life.

It is true we are not put on this Earth to work, pay taxes, then die. We are beautiful, sacred beings with so so much to offer each other and this planet. We deserve to have time for rest, proper nutrition, a feeling of safety, a purpose in life that nourishes the mind, heart and body so we can be intelligent stewards of this amazing planet, and vital support networks for the vulnerable in our society.

That’s my thoughts on this matter. I welcome your input.

Art: The oil painting featured at the opening of this blog was made a very long time ago by my maternal grandmother, Evelyn. She never saw Oregon, only the arid, flat deserts of Texas. I think she painted this from a postcard, dreaming of a land with trees. I feel very blessed to be living in the lands my maternal ancestors could only dream about.

❤🌷❤

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