The things I'm going to write today are nothing new. I'm not bringing any fresh revelation. If you go to church or anything very often, you probably hear a couple sermons a year telling you the same truths that I am going to share today. I've heard it all a million times. So I don't want to try to beat anyone over the head with this, nor do I want to guilt-trip anyone. But the truth is that over the past few weeks, I have had to remind myself of these things repeatedly to keep myself from becoming a selfish complainer, or at least to keep myself from complaining more than I already do.
I have now been living in Cincinnati for three weeks, and I'm still jobless. It's not for lack of trying; I think I've applied to over fifty employers by now. But, for whatever reason, I just haven't had much luck landing anything. Not to say don't enjoy the time off. It's been nice to spend my days reading and watching Pawn Stars and old Planet of the Apes movies. However, now that I'm in the "adult world," I have adult expenses: rent, utilities, groceries, gas, etc. Thankfully, I've got enough cash saved up to last a little while, but I am quickly realizing that it's not much fun to have a lot of expenses and no income.
So I have been trying to be careful with how I use my money. I make sure not to leave lights on or to have the air conditioner running all the time. I eat ham sandwiches at home instead of going to Chick-fil-A for lunch. I don't buy anything at the store that I don't need. And, to be honest, it's kind of a drag. I'm not used to being required to be so disciplined. When I was in college at Ozark, I didn't think twice about making a Taco Bell run for a late-night snack, because it only cost a few dollars. But now even a few dollars is something I have to be concerned about.
It's easy for me to complain about all of these things, and it's easy for me to sit around and think longingly about the good old days (namely, a month ago) when I didn't have so many worries and concerns. But then I have to remember how most people in the world have much less than I do. You've probably heard the statistics at some point--about how billions of people live on less than $2 a day and how thousands and thousands of children die from malnutrition and preventable diseases. It's astounding. (If you want to see more poverty facts, you can check them out here. When I think about the problems that so many people in the world deal with, then the fact that I haven't been able to buy anything on iTunes for a while seems much less troubling. Most people in the world can't even fathom having some of the things I do, simply because I have a car, computer, phone, and bed. We live in a pretty crazy world if an unemployed grad student can be in the upper tier of global wealth.
Again, my purpose in writing this isn't to guilt-trip you. I don't want to make you feel bad. But I do want you to think about these things and to be incredibly grateful for what you have, even if it's not quite what you wish you had. And I'll work on doing the same.
And now, a few housekeeping issues. Last week I had a contest for readers to give me a recipe they think I can handle, and two of my friends, Charlie and Katie, both commented with a recipe. After careful thought, I have decided that Charlie wins, for the sole reason that he lives 110 miles from me instead of 2426 miles, so he is more likely to be able to use his prize. So Charlie, if you ever want to eat some garlic bread, come on over. However, just for entering, I'll give each of you a plug for your blogs. So be sure to check out Charlie's blog here, and Katie's blog here.
A final thought: I really have no idea how adult relationships work, meaning that I don't know how people meet others and make friends when they don't live in a dorm on a small Bible college campus with a bunch of other people. Even more so, I don't know how romantic relationships work in the real world, where it probably takes more than just kicking the back of the chair of the girl who sits in front of you in class until she turns around and you can ask her to walk around campus with you. I guess that to make friends, you just have to go where people are, and to meet a girl, you have to go where single girls are. But going to any such places costs money, and as I have already said, that's a problem right now. Making friends costs money, and finding a sweetheart costs even more. The band House of Heroes has a song titled "Love is For the Middle Class," and perhaps they're right. After all, I don't think many girls want to go on a date that involves them coming over and eating ramen noodles with me.
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