"XYZ, Heidi! XYZ!!!!" The round faced girl pointed and looked at me smugly. I stared back, in complete and utter confusion. "What on earth was she talking about?" I could feel my face burn into a blush and my mind raced through the ignorance of this situation. I turned around and stared into my locker, my mind still trying to figure out this secret code. How I managed to get from elementary school to middle school without obtaining the translation to this popular teeny bopper lingo, I don't know. It would be like not knowing what "LOL" means in todays vernacular. But alas, I stood there, dumbfounded. Until the voice of an angel whispered discreetly, from the next locker over "Your zipper, Heidi, it means "examine your zipper".
The lightbulb turned on. And my zipper went up. To this day, I periodically check, just to make sure I'm never caught in that awkward situation again.
But it makes me think this morning, about life, and what periodically needs to be examined. Because my husband and I are saving for our first home, finance comes to mind. We were blessed early in our marriage with a small fortune. From various sources for various reasons, we were sitting on a nest of golden eggs. But we didn't own a goose. And after that "honeymoon" year as we call it, my brilliant husband with an honors math major, did a little counting and said to me, "Sweetie, either we need to figure out a better way to handle our money, or we're going to have to open up some credit card accounts. Yes, in just one year we blissfully blew through thousands and thousands of dollars. Our budget sheet was nothing more than a track record of what we'd spent that month. Sometimes that number was astounding. We laugh now as we look back on that record and read things like "Whole Foods, 1,000 dollars, groceries." Or "Target, 3,000 dollars, stuff". Or "March, forgot to budget".
We did not open a credit card, instead, we figured out how to budget, and got pretty darn good at it. We quickly realized that the situation needed some serious examining, or we'd be caught with more than our zipper down, and not in a good way.
And just as I learned my lesson in the 7th grade, to always check your zipper, my husband and I learned to always check our finances, goals, and progress. It was a lesson we'll never forget and one that set us on a path of success for the future.
What are some of your life's XYZ moments, what lessons have you learned by taking the time to look at and examine a situation that needed altering?
-The Domestic Diva
Very lovely post! I like it tremendously and yes, at times we are forced to examine our life; certainly not in the embarassing manner of our zipper being down, thank goodness, but what we can change, make better or even expand upon...I think it's good for us as married couples AND as indiviudals! Thanks for the reminder :) and congrats for making it thorugh the challenge!
ReplyDeleteAmen. I found this principle very useful in raising my kiddos. When I found myself exasperating with a reoccurring situation, I'd sit down and just think it out. Creativity! Be proactive not reactive! It worked every time.
ReplyDeleteHello, Fellow Challenger, from #398 - aka Rockin'Chair Reflections!Great post and reminder! We should all keep up on our finances and eschew credit cards. I have always used a CYA (Cover Your Ass) daily diary to write down my things to do and any monies spent impulsively as well as what's due. There's a little budget section in the back and by watching where the money goes, you really can cut down on what you spend. Good for you! Come visit when you can.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. You should be very proud of yourself for getting it under control before you got into debt.
ReplyDeleteScribblesFromJenn
Congratulations on finishing the A to Z challenge!
a life long battle with us---no credit cards but no money---you two sound like you are very wise--
ReplyDeleteReferring to the post's first para - the other day, I was at a dinner party and the girl sitting opposite me tapped her hand on her nose, looking at me meaningfully. I just looked at her with a confused expression. I had no idea what she was doing. But she just kept trying to catch my attention and kept tapping her nose!
ReplyDeleteIt turned out that it was code for "do you want to pouder your nose?" A.K.A "will you come to the loos with me?"
Am I really that old-fashioned? I would just say it out-loud...
M. x