For many reasons at Christmas, I think about how much I have, compare it to others and ask myself where I stand. Perhaps this is because Ebenezer Scrooge defines this time of year as a time when you find yourself a year older and not a penny richer. Perhaps it's because we see people milling about the retailers in a frenzied attempt to get that item their kids "must have" but won't care about a few days after Christmas. Perhaps it's because we watch the gladiators at play on sports fields earning millions because they can catch, throw, or hit a ball. Perhaps it's because I'm still at the bottom of my pay scale at work while others climbed higher this year. Perhaps it's really because Christmas is about family, and because I feel that those with good families are the richest among us. Whatever the reason, I think about myself, and I realize things about others.
In truth, I don't actually need more money. You reach a point where after you earn a certain amount you change. For me, this level comes when I earn a certain amount above what I actually need to live, at which point I start frittering it away because I can. There is another professor who takes every class he can and earns almost six figures after his overload, but that's far more than I need if I'm single. Also, if I earn too much more, I get to pay extra income tax penalties because I earn too much for a single guy.
People often opine the fact that educators earn less than entertainers when it's actually quite simple. Nobody would pay to watch a teacher teach or a doctor do actual surgery, so there is no advertising in school or the operating room. Entertainers, whether in sports or in cinema, are paid, not so much for what we see them do, but for what they do for their boss. Essentially, these people are paid a commission on the advertising revenue they generate. The more people watch them, the more advertising they can sell, and the more they can earn. In truth, they get a paltry sum considering how much advertising sells. If nobody watched them, they would be paid about what they're actually worth. True students pay me to teach them, but I don't have a studio audience, I probably will never have one, and that's totally ok with me.
Someone once told me "some people are so poor that all they have is money" and I agree with that. A few weeks ago, my buddy and I were talking, and some other people overheard me saying that money won't make you rich. You can buy company, but you can't buy good company. you can buy pleasure, but you can't buy love. You can buy health care, but you can't buy good health. Money buys many things, but it won't make you happy. It's a means.
Knowing when you have enough and to spare is an important skill that's difficult to acquire. Even I overexerted myself these past few months and hurt my foot working out too much. Other people have 40 scarves or 120 pairs of shoes or so many cars that they need an elevator in their garage. This year, knowing that I earned far more than I need, I actually gave away an entire month's worth of pay to help people I knew. Some of it went out in gifts they needed, and some of it went to paying bills or whatever, but I know that God gives us gifts so that we can help other people. I don't know how to spend more than I need well, and although other people may not use what I give them well either, that's out of my hands. I am thankful that I had a decent year. Maybe next year something will change for the better and be a blessing disguised as a blessing.
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