Counting blessings in ledger of life
THERE’S a classic episode of Seinfeld in which Jerry likens himself to Even Steven. You know, that’s the personality that simply can’t help but end up all square. He’ll lose $20 in the street only to discover some cash stuffed down the back of the couch.
A jumper will get torn just as a friend happens to clean out their closet and decides to give one away.
I have, for a while now, compared my own fortunes to Mr Steven. Pay off the car loan? You beauty! Pay back another outstanding debt? Sadly, about time.
It’s as though yin and yang have been wrestling for so long that they have now just melded in to one giant concoction of arms and legs. And so are my fortunes. I still shake my head at the day I ventured in to Brisbane’s CBD during a lunch break to recoup a $212 windfall ... only to return to my car with the exact same dollar value slapped on a parking fine.
My wife, happy to take a seat when it comes to sorting out finances, tells me I should stop dreaming of the day when debts are cleared.
It’s a bit like waiting for a laugh when watching Big Bang Theory … it is just never going to happen.
Given my slow – and often lamented – ascent in to manhood, and therefore extra responsibility, I have long bemoaned my Even Steven status.
“When is it going to be my chance to get ahead?,” I’ve pondered.
Yet with a growing appreciation delivered by a healthy family, good job, roof over my head and perhaps too many Christmas specials, I reckon it’s offensive to many for me to still claim this tag.
There are, evidently, a lot who are worse off than me.
I always afforded myself a giggle when, as a 10-year-old, my older brother would often say “I must be the unluckiest person in the world”. I feel like chuckling at myself now. I’m no Even Steven, and a lot of us aren’t. We live in great conditions in the best country in the world and the best city in Australia.
Personally, I spent my Christmas Day basking in the smiles of my darling children. Am I getting ahead? Frankly, I was always ahead.