You know your life is back together when you can afford new underwear!

"Itch" Jones was the baseball coach at Southern Illinois University and at the University of Illinois for over 30 years.  I had the true pleasure of working for Itch for 3 years at Illinois.  One of the things he would say to the players when things weren't going right was "you think playing a game, like baseball is hard?  Hard is when you have a house with a mortgage, a family with bills and you have lost your job."  "Hard is figuring out how you are going to get your next meal when you only have pennies in your pocket."  "Hitting a baseball is not hard."

I didn't really get that when he said it.  I mean at the time I had always had a job.  Always been able to pay my bills.  Pretty much always been able to do whatever I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it.  Not working was a function of not wanting to work, and not making enough money meant you weren't trying hard enough. 

And then the year 2007 hit me square in the face.  I started the year working for a residential management company that was building a new dorm on campus.  It was a great job, and add to that I was working part time in real estate and making extra cash as a referee.  About April my father's condition deteriorated.  This weighed on my mind constantly as our family tried to decide the proper care going forward.   I had a few other distractions as well, and eventually the company decided to "go another direction."  So I went back to real estate full time. 

A few weeks later my father passed away.  A month after that the stock market collapsed.  And by Christmas it became evident the real estate business was headed into a tailspin.  And so began a nearly 3 year change of lifestyle.  It's amazing when you really have to "watch your pennies" how some things just don't become important anymore.  Over the next two years I would cancel home phone service, Internet, subsciptions, and find a way where ever I could to cut back my expenses.  I had some good months and some bad months.  The bad months were often funding with my credit cards, and like a Vegas gambler I thought my next big sale would pay off the debt.

The next big sale didn't come, although I had enough smaller sales to pay the bills.  Over time I took on 4 part time jobs.  I was very fortunate that people with whom I had volunteered in the past offered me part time positions, getting paid, in areas of they controlled.  And it was enough to get by. 

So here I am four years later, head still above water, and still managing to get by.  A few weeks ago our managing broker offered me a salary position with benefits.  It truly was the answer to my prayers.  In fact I had prayed often during this time, putting my full faith in God that things would work out.  And they did.

So, a few weeks ago I did something I haven't done in more than 3 years.  I went out an bought some new underwear.  My old stuff, and trust me I had a lot of it, was finally wearing out.  And I was down to my last 5 or 6 pair.  There is something now about opening a new package of boxers that makes me feel things are ok now.  Funny, because in the past, I took it for granted.  When you take time to step back and really look at where you life as led you, the things that seem like a given can become a celebration.