What is Today but Yesterday's Tomorrow? -Mr. Crabs

The past few days have been rather mellow, not much is really happening. I think we're slowly easing into the fall schedule. I remember school being like this for me as a child. The excitement of the start of a new school year in late August- early September, birthdays in October (we have many Libras on my side of the family), and then the spooktacular Halloween! After which things slowed to a snails pace until Christmas. Thanksgiving really didn't count for much since the most I got out of it was a slow four day weekend. This is what I'm feeling today, the snails crawl to Thanksgiving. From the chilly display of dreary overcast skies, the weather seems to agree with my diagnosis.

While driving around doing errands I noticed a cute little dog appropriately dressed for the cool climate.


This afternoon I got the chance to start a dialogue with someone on the topic of conspicuous consumption. This has always fascinated me. This person turned me onto a commentary by Peter Sagal entitled A Reality Check for Americans Obsessed with More that aired yesterday on NPR's All Things Considered. I've always viewed money as a symbol of security. But now at this point in my life having seen how fleeting life can be, I understand that money and the security it represents to be a state of mind, with everything being relative.

It's easy to imagine all the things you would do if you had a lot of money. For myself just knowing that the money is there would give me permission to live life on my own terms without fear. I'm not sure why this is so ingrained in me, when there is little fear for the immediate loss of any of the four essentials, but having witnessed so many catastrophes in the last few years, natural and man-made, it's easy to realize that no one is immune.

But what does 'a lot of money' mean? Or rather how much is enough? I've encountered a lot of people who appear to have a lot of money, and are neither happy nor satisfied. It brings to my mind an interview I saw recently with a woman who has cancer. She was asked how she is living her life differently knowing that her time is limited. Her answer was that cancer has given her the chance to fully live life, forcing her to do anything and everything NOW. She does not have the luxury of putting things off until next year. How wonderful would it be for each of us to be so cognizant of life on a daily basis? Because the reality is that not one of us has been given the promise of tomorrow.