Poor but rich ... big city small world in California ... (Montclair: rent, live in)

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

My beloved mom always loved it when i gve her a box of chocolate covered cherries...

My mom loves pictures of her family, grandkids, etc... And spending time with them, visiting her, etc... Nothing means more.

Derek

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

My mom loves pictures of her family, grandkids, etc... And spending time with them, visiting her, etc... Nothing means more.

Derek

Moms are actually really easy when it comes down to it ... pushovers for the "free stuff" ... bless their little hearts (even though mine terrorized me and brother and sisters most of her years! ... English teacher to boot ... couldn't write a letter home even from the war but she'd return it corrected in red ... true! ... when the brood started having kids of our own we called her "Grammar Mom" instead of Grandma)

[urbanr0cker]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

This is precisely why people jump out of windows when they lose their jobs or die shortly after retirement. Who are you? And who would you be if you lost everything financially/materialistically today? Don't be so quick to assume this could never happen. Are these the things which define you - status, material possessions, etc..? If you would commit suicide because you had to live a humble existence then I think the answer is obvious. Others have and will continue to do the same unfortunately.

Derek

I would commit suicide if I had reached old age and realized I had not met my full potential, sure. It doesn't have so much to do with material possessions as it does potential. There's something very wrong with settling.

[urbanr0cker]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Try just writing your mom a card of thanks or because of a fun memory that came to mind ... costs nothing ... try just stopping by with a flower you picked in your yard for her ... costs nothing. My experience with my mother, who just passed on at 97, was always that nothing -- I repeat: Nothing -- ever meant as much to her as a kiss and a squeeze and a conversation, by phone, by mail, in person ... in fact, I can say with 100% confidence that nothing I ever bought her meant much at all -- though she did appreciate the boxes of Frango Mint Chocolates I sent every birthday and Christmas. Not expensive. Try 'em I used to send my mother a thank you card every year on MY birthday. Think about it ... it'll come to you.

You act as if buying something for your mother is a mortal sin. Sure I buy or even create my own cards, spend time with her (she's fairly young, she's not a senior citizen) and we're very close. On that same token, I still like to buy her nice things and she likes to get them. And nowhere did I say 'expensive gifts'. Come on, it's a bottle of perfume or a scarf, not a luxury car!

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by urbanr0cker

I would commit suicide if I had reached old age and realized I had not met my full potential, sure. It doesn't have so much to do with material possessions as it does potential. There's something very wrong with settling.

This is very sad. Sometimes spoiled potential can lead to other, more fulfilling things.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Dare you to read and laugh at this man's success:

For 35 years Reuben Pardo has operated the same elevator in an Art Deco building on Wilshire Blvd. A marvelous story of happiness in a life of ups and downs. How to live without money controlling your sense of happiness and worth -- even in California:

COLUMN ONE: Elevator operator's overriding story: joy - latimes.com

"His brother became a public defender. One sister is an accountant. The other retired as a pharmacist assistant. "Everybody had a good position and guess what? They all got houses and three cars, four cars in the garage. And I'm the one with the little apartment," Pardo says.

That's the small version of Pardo's life: "But we are happy. Me and my wife, we are really happy.... As long as you're happy, as long as you are full of happiness, that's all that matters."

He and Trudy married in 1972. They have one son, 29, and one granddaughter, 11.

Trudy, retired from Carl's Junior, keeps the house and cooks the food.

And on his day off, Pardo celebrates her.

They ride the bus around, "MTA cruising." They go to a restaurant.

"I take her out every Sunday so she can relax," he says. "That's my personal gift to her until God takes us away."

On Saturday night, the two choose their Sunday spot. It could be Denny's or IHOP or Norm's.

Each week until they decide, it's a delicious surprise.

"I love my small, little world."

What a lovely story.

What I gather from it is that true happiness is not defined by our material possessions, but by the close relationships we have. That money is no replacement for love. So true. I already know that but why does so much of my time revolve around the pursuit of wealth?

That bit about a personal gift to his wife 'until God takes us away' almost made me cry. Look at Steve Jobs, the guy had all the money in the world and still couldnt avoid death. Its a road that we must all someday walk down. So between now and the time, I wonder what I can do to improve not only myself but also the relationships that I have in this life.

This story is definitely food for thought.

Thanks for sharing.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by urbanr0cker

You act as if buying something for your mother is a mortal sin. Sure I buy or even create my own cards, spend time with her (she's fairly young, she's not a senior citizen) and we're very close. On that same token, I still like to buy her nice things and she likes to get them. And nowhere did I say 'expensive gifts'. Come on, it's a bottle of perfume or a scarf, not a luxury car!

I dont think anything is wrong with tokens of appreciation, big or small, for those who we love. In fact, why not? I think it is the thought that counts but a nice gift to accompany that thought isnt a bad thing at all.

At the same time, its also nice to gift our loved ones expressions of caring and affection, like consistent communication via personal visits when possible, or a simple phone call to see how they are doing and let them know we love them.

To each his own, we all know our family circumstances and what works for one might not work well for another, but I do believe that everyone regardless of who they are, likes to know that they are loved.

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

I already know that but why does so much of my time revolve around the pursuit of wealth?

Many of us are taught to believe that education, money, and success are the only path to happiness. The urban rat-race only reinforces this belief. Mr. Pardo has somehow managed to avoid it.

I've escaped it twice, only to return to it later. Looking back, I was happier working simple jobs for less hours and less pay. I had more time to chill. More time to look out the window and ponder the world. More time to do me.

[20yrsinBranson]

I wonder if there are any dentists in the building.

20yrsinBranson

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

I wonder if there are any dentists in the building.

20yrsinBranson

One doesn't need teeth to smile.