Search This Blog

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

What If?

The sweet little yellow cafe is right next door. I love the
yellow cookbook, but have not yet eaten at the cafe, as Dan and I
usually go off-season, when room rates are MUCH lower
and no long minimum stays required.
What if I told you our Comcast bill is late, so our home internet is down, not to mention TV, and I am working on article deadlines at Starbucks until it closes at 10? That I plan to come back early in the morning and do the same?

That at least one of our freelance writing paychecks should be coming this week, but we are living on pocket change at the moment, since we do not use credit cards?

That our mortgage is a bit late, but we will catch up?

Would you judge me, think less of me? I don't know, maybe you would. And maybe you should.

What if I admitted that I should not have let Punchy pick out that expensive chocolate today in Cape May--should have saved the $6.50 to refill the gas tank? [We bought a caramel/sea salt Lake Champlain Chocolates bar at charming little Louisa's Chocolate Bar for Punchy's friend J's birthday, plus spent nearly $14 on 6 bottles of glue at CVS. Glue is the present J requested--she and Punch are big into slime making. Punch sleeping over at J's tonight.] I used the end of the cash that I borrowed from Sis to get tofu and hazelnut milk for Figgy and regular milk at Whole Foods where, by the way, the rumors seem true; now that Amazon bought them, the prices are lower.

What if I shared that the cheapest thing you can get at Starbucks is a banana, $1.25 plus tax, bringing it to $1.33, so that is what I got just now? Along with ice water in my colorful, refillable Starbucks cup.

Well, I feel better telling you all this. Sometimes, this is the hard reality of living in a family with two freelance writers. Feast or famine, as a friend once said.

It's not fun, and it's not funny, but we muddle through. One year was painful; young Figgy needed to get that whole big list of school supplies, maybe for first grade? Our close friends, Anne and Michael, lent us the cash. We of course paid it back. But grateful!

I was able to scoot down to Cape May overnight with Punch because Sis was already renting a suite and a room for herself and Julie and Alex. So I stayed in Sis's room and Punch stayed in the suite.

We swam for a long time and sat in the hot tub for a long time, too. But outside, a storm was brewing. Sis also planned on treating us all to dinner and lunch and I felt very lucky. She is kind.

Good night.






6 comments:

  1. Anyone who hasn’t been broke should shut up, and anyone who has been broke gets it. We’ve been broke.

    Humans aren’t adding machines, and feeling like there is no fun and no choices is no way to live.

    Liz

    ReplyDelete
  2. As with many things you share ... we've all been there! Well, most of us have been there. Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello from Starbucks, Liz, Lin and Eileen--thank you for the kind notes. Have a good day. xo Alice

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Alice! #beenbroketoo remember the sage advice I got once from a therapy guru: We're all doing the best we can. We can all do better. It's where we all are at most of the time whatever the issue. Sending love!

    ReplyDelete