Enough, with over-measure.

I had an interesting conversation with my daughter last night—most of my talks with her are interesting. She’s a very smart, savvy, funny lady—and I enjoy hearing her take on things. We have truly become friends over the past 7—8 years [a major thing, believe me.]

Well, among the many topics we covered, we started talking about finances—or our lack thereof. It was fascinating that neither one of use was greedy. Which is cool since both she and her brother grew up in the 80s—90s when it was all about acquiring as much as you could. They both bought into that at the time—we had lots of arguments and drama when they didn’t understand why mom and dad couldn’t buy them the expensive designer jeans and the like. It has been so gratifying to see them evolve into adults who could care less about status [although they can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to making fun of mom’s hoopdee of a car].
As our conversation progressed it was a nice validation to hear how simple both of our wishes/needs were. We didn’t want huge mansions surrounded by overly landscaped grounds, with a garage full of the most expensive cars. Both of us would be more than content to have enough to pay off our family’s debts, pay for educations and have a comfortable life. An added bonus would be to have that “over-measure” that would enable us to endow scholarships. For me it would be theatre scholarships for deserving, talented individuals. I would love to help young talent achieve their dreams. And help finance crucial arts education that is falling by the wayside in these recessionary times.

For my daughter, it would be helping young single mothers stay in school and go to college. It’s what she did and it has made all the difference in how her life has progressed. Unlike many teenaged moms, she was highly motivated to get an education so she could make a good life for herself and her son. She did not fall into the trap of having more children like some do; she didn’t rush into a marriage so she’d have someone to support her either. She’s struggled—and it’s killed me that I am unable to help her [or my son] in any way. But she’s a stronger person and a better mom for that struggle.

And I KNOW my son and grandson feel the same way. None of us are “gimme-gimme” kind of people—and we definitely don’t get those that are. What does one do with $1,000.00 sunglasses?
Seriously—what?