19. Budgeting for Survival AND Growth

Most people are extremely wasteful with their money. I understand wants and have often indulged my own; but never to the extent of not being able to pay my bills. I cannot stand when I see people do this. For the last six months I have lived a transient, nomadic, minimalist existence and am a full time student with no steady income. During this time my finances have been obliterated, yet I have somehow not missed a single bill. While I can sing the praises of minimalism all day, the last half year has reinforced an important life lesson: no matter how much spending you are able to cut out of your life, money is still important. You still need it to live. Legally, at least. I currently find myself unemployed, with less student loan money than anticipated, and a list of expenses coming up over the next few months. The good news is that I am getting a sizable tax return - the only benefit of paying over twice your salary for tuition. This money is going to have to get me through the next few months. Enter Gift 19 - the discipline of a budget.

18. Gratitude Expressed

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.
       ~Gladys Bronwyn Stern, writer
Yesterday got me thinking about what I am thankful for; and who. We go through life only with the help of others. We can only hope that we are in turn able to help others. In my few years so far on this earth I've had the rare honor of being able to speak personally into the lives of many young men and women. I've spent countless nights talking with them: giving advice, counsel, and comfort. I have only attempted to give what I often needed and some times received.

17. Gratitude Realized

Panama 2005. I carried that down a
mountain. On my back.

I once lived for a couple of months with a native tribe in the Panamanian jungle. This wasn't like a bones-through-the-nose-wearing-a-loin-cloth-that-reveals-a-little-too-much kind of tribe [anymore] but it was primitive. No electricity. No running water. They lived in thatched huts made from the materials they found in the jungle. While there I helped to dig new latrines. Our group climbed a mountain and gathered palm branches used to make the huts. We had to braid the branches together and carry them down the mountain on our backs. These people had, by our society's standards, nothing to be grateful for. They constantly had to work hard to survive, had little to eat, and pooped in an open hole in the ground. Yet even in those circumstances I found people who were genuinely happy - because they appreciated what they did have. I in my infinite wisdom forgot this lesson until today.

I've been feeling kind of down the last few days. Those who know me personally can attest that the last year of my life has been hellacious. Among other things, I've lost my job, had my emotions seriously messed with, been robbed of almost everything I owned, had my savings cleaned out, & have became a transient adventurer (translation : glorified hobo). The truth is, I kind of like that last part. But concerning the rest, I understandably have come through a little bit of depression which has been trying to resurface. Too often misfortune is all we allow ourselves to see. As such, today's gift is gratitude. It is needed now more than ever.

16. Starting Toward A Long Desired Goal

How little a thing can make us happy when we feel that we have earned it.                                                                                  - Mark Twain

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Everyone has goals that they ignore. They usually come in the form of some desire that we don't take the time or energy to fulfill. We rationalize them away by telling ourselves that we don't really need to do them. The sad truth is: we really don't. They aren't essential. We can very easily run our course through life by doing just what we need to get by. But what is life without doing the things that we want to do? Gift 16 is to start working toward a goal I've had for awhile but have never really started - until now.

15. Improved Posture - How To Actually Do It

Yesterday I educated myself on good posture and the risks of avoiding it. As I shared, there are not only numerous benefits to having good posture, but also serious risks posed to those without it. A very brief recap of what good posture should look like: keep your ears, shoulders, and hips aligned.

Today's gift: I'm trying to figure out how to effectively go about fixing my impending hump-backed wretchedness. The two biggest problem areas for people are: (1) maintaining good posture during the many hours of being seated and (2) dealing with the muscle pain of trying to correct poor posture.