11.22.07
Thanksgiving Day In Southern California
I have been pretty silent lately. It has been a busy time at work, and there has been little or no time for anything outside of work. I have not, however, been completely unproductive. (As if being at work was not productive in the first place.)
As I have pondered the fact that my present employment is becoming repetitive—I never would have imagined ten years ago that working with computers could bore me—and this job is also acting as a brake on my skills development and career advancement.
I’m currently positioned at a place 48 miles from my present residence. It is not a bad commute most days. If there was a longer-term opening in that general vicinity, I would most certainly look at it. With the long hours and limited time off, it is becoming a problem—I am fighting sleep during my nearly three hours a day commuting time—and yet, I am glad that I am not at another one of the local sites. But I think the overall solution is one that is harder: I have to relocate away from the often-beautiful Victor Valley to be closer to a location where there is opportunity for me. It is always hard to force this kind of change upon unwilling family members, no matter how much it will benefit them as well as yourself.
I am anticipating responses along the lines of “Go if you want to, but I am staying right here.” If you are the person who would say this, you should know that you are making a serious mistake, with long-range consequences for your entire family. Instead of looking only at the ideal, look at the actual conditions around you and consider those conditions in the choices you make.
As we watch the financial industry implode (primarily because they were able to put buyers into “fool’s loans” for several years without any action by regulatory agencies and now a large number of buyers are being pummelled by the effects of these unsavory loans, which is pulling greedy lenders down with them), we realize that it portends an era of financial danger for individuals and families.
To any buyers in that situation, I want you to know that it can be a very liberating experience to get rid of that weight. If you can find a way to get out from under the loan without losing money, such as finding a quick buyer that will pay enough cash to satisfy your lender, you may want to take it. The alternative is to go through foreclosure, with all of the attendant damage to your credit (and possibly your income also).
Do not deceive yourself. If you have a fool’s loan, such as an adjustable-rate mortgage or an interest-only loan with a balloon payment at the end, there is a real chance that you will lose your home no matter what you do.
In the meantime, if you still have a home to live in, give thanks to God. Thousands of homes reportedly burned in Southern California last month and early this month. A typhoon (hurricane) recently struck Bangladesh, killing thousands and devastating many villages. While you have a place to sleep and food and clothing, be thankful.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.&160; Let it be more than just a time to overeat and listen to the same boring stories from your relatives. Return to our national roots—give thanks unto God for all the good things you have—remember that you very well could be one of the have-nots this time next year.
