Dealing With Bitter Emotions
I’ll admit it. From time to time, it seems as though the world is stacked against us. Meanwhile, the Jones are out and about, having been granted every advantage and perk imaginable. Just to recap, here are just some of the advantages I have noticed about our friends.
- Our friend’s parents provided them with a down payment for their house.
- Another couple had a family friend who happened to be a realtor. No closing costs on their house.
- We are fairly certain that several of our married friends received substantial financial aid for their weddings. Some of them we are certain did not have to pay a dime.
All the while, on our side of the lawn, things are just a little bit different.
- We are paying for our entire wedding ourselves. We are hoping to get enough in gifts to cover the honeymoon (if we are lucky).
- The wedding is depleting our house down payment fund. We will be saving for at least three years to afford a 20% payment.
Sometimes, I can’t help but feel a little green.
However, being bitter doesn’t solve a darn thing. I can walk through life being jealous of my friends or I can suck it up and realize that sometimes life is a challenge, and other times, I can’t expect to know the full story.
Life Isn’t Always Fair
It is true. I should not be so melodramatic to assume that the world is out to get me. We may not have every advantage, but we do have a few of our own. We do not have any credit card debt, we are financially independent and have good paying jobs. There are a host of people who would love to be in our situation, despite not having a family friend realtor.
Some Play Their Cards Close To Their Vest
Just because I can see the obvious advantages in someones situation does not mean I know everything about their lives. Even close friends may feel embarrassed about some of their disadvantages. While the good things about someone’s life may be easy to spot, other items may not be so obvious.
Money Comes and Goes, But Friends Last a Lifetime
Life alone would be a boring and trivial affair. The good company of friends is something we should all learn to cherish despite our different financial situations. Beyond our gross and net salaries, the reasons we became friends in the first place is still just as valid today and there is precious little that finances should get in the way of.
Cherish your friendships, for richer or poorer. It sounds corny but it should apply to most of the readers out there. Being fiscally responsible is important. However, money should not come between good friends, ever.
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:14 am
[...] advantage starting out their wedded lives. I’ve talked about being green with envy in an earlier post. So when, finally, a family member bestows an advantage on us, even if it is only money, we should [...]