Becoming adept

After 74 years in this troubled world, and with like-minded suggestions from social media, I find I’ve become adept at lots of things. Why do I feel I’m not alone? Here are some:

Forgetting names less than a minute after learning them.

Arriving either right on time or late for most events.

Making arrangements to do something or be somewhere then regretting it when the time arrives and I no longer feel up to it.

Tearing into a container only to wind up later digging through the trash because I forget the directions printed on the back.

Ordering online items while forgetting passwords then becoming confused over how to make last-minute changes after they are already in my checkout basket.

More than ever, having appreciation for life’s mysteries, balance and magnificence.

With various ailments increasingly rearing their heads nowadays, I’ve become very good at Googling my discomforts only to needlessly worry over what I discovered.

Forgetting clothes in the dryer only to discover them later, badly wrinkled.

Awakening after midnight to stare at the ceiling, trying to calculate how much remaining sleep I’ll get if I drift off immediately.

Leaving my credit card still inserted in checkout machines after departing the store.

Identifying abundant partisan propaganda as opposed to supposedly objective truths.

Spending inordinate time in warm showers.

Ordering food to go or to be delivered.

Tuning out the emotionally overwrought and judgmental types who clearly know not of what they speak yet insist they do.

Being kinder to others than I was during my Type-A-personality decades.

Having little, if any, tolerance for those who are rude and/or dismissive of other thoughts, a condition usually arising from their own insecurities.

Reflecting on everything I’ve done and left undone over the decades.

Loving on our little pound pup Benji and watching him soak up the affection clearly missed in his earliest years.

Saying prayers for those in need, rather than pushing for my wants.

Taking nothing for granted, having learned how foolish and painful that can be.

Our credit cards

Years ago my brother who lives in Denton, Texas, delivered a concerned lecture of sorts over my insistence on using a debit card for all my purchases.

“You’re leaving hundreds of dollars on the table each year by not putting your purchases on a credit card and paying off the balance each month,” he said. “You’re still spending the same amount of money you would have by using your debit card. But credit cards will reap you from 1 to as much as 5% you’d be getting back by using credit cards. I get between $600 and $700 back every year.”

It made sense, so that’s what I began doing about five years ago. I’m glad I made the change. What’s the sense in leaving so many dollars on anyone else’s table? The trick to earning from this technique is to make certain to pay the balance in full and on time each month.

That said — and speaking of credit cards — I read a report from the website CreditCards.com that found Arkansas has the fifth highest credit-card debt burden in the United States. The report compares credit card debt and household income among all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

“An average Arkansas household has the 21st lowest average credit-card debt ($7,571) but the third lowest median annual household income ($48,952). Setting aside the recommended 15% of earnings to pay off debt, it would take 14 months to pay off the balance and would cost $960 in interest,” the report said. “This does not, however, consider Arkansas’ 7.3% unemployment rate ( 21st highest tied with North Carolina), which could prohibit some residents from eliminating their credit-card debt in that time frame.

“For greater context,” the study continued. “It would take the median American household (earning $65,712) a little under a year (11 months) to pay down the average credit-card balance of $7,941.”

Care at Christmas

Christmas promises to be different than any other in my life. In light of what we are witnessing with the spread of covid-19 in the wake of Thanksgiving gatherings. I assume the wisest among us will accept this unpleasant reality and choose to cut plans dramatically on indoor Christmas gatherings.

Though I’ve yet to see statistics on the aftermath of Thanksgiving, I feel certain there were plenty of examples of decisions to gather in annual exchanges of affection resulting in this treasured holiday becoming the last one for some older family members who became infected as a result.

In the end, we each will decide for ourselves where to spend Christmas since we still retain that right to choose. Yet we’ve never experienced anything close to the pandemic crisis we’re facing today.

Jeanetta and I have decided to spend a reflective observance alone, although we would far rather be with family. It’s our way of respecting the reality of such a difficult period.

Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.