The Reminders We Don't Want

On Saturday, during the busiest day of the week, our Northern Vessel coffee shop experienced what could have been the most tragic of situations. A car, stolen earlier that morning, barrelled into the side of our shop at full speed. It first struck a customer standing out front, sending him through the main window and down into the basement (the cavern being exposed due to the impact).

At the same time, two of our full-time staff members and a loyal customer were sitting on the built-in bench with their backs against the glass window. Upon impact, as the bench was dislocated (exposing the basement where the outside passenger fell), these three individuals began to retreat and were thrown across the room.

Miraculously, nobody sustained life-threatening injuries. In the aftermath, as the team looked around the room, now covered in glass and blood, it was a harsh reminder of how delicate our lives are. One minute we are enjoying a sunny weekend afternoon sipping a coffee while hanging with friends, and the next minute all hell breaks loose. We often take for granted how special this opportunity of life is.

I've been debating all week about whether I should write about this situation. My gut initially said no, but something else happened. Well, two something elses. One of my team members experienced an unfathomable tragedy in her life last week. That's not my story to tell, but it's a story that makes me weak in the knees just thinking about it. And just two days ago, a team member at one of my clients also experienced a tragedy that's hard to wrap my head around.

To be honest, I've had a hard time processing all of this. Life happens, because life always happens. But these are hard pills to swallow. These are the reminders we don't want. Reminders about how someone you care about so much can be gone in a heartbeat. Reminders about how unpredictable this life can be. Reminders about how meaningless money, status, and stuff are in the big picture. Sure, we need to handle our finances well and care for ourselves. Absolutely. But when push comes to shove, 99.9% of us would give up all the money in the world to be with those we love. But in the repetitive rhythm of our lives, it's easy to forget that. We quickly find ourselves fixating on something a bit more superficial.

This is why meaning over money is so important. Life is too delicate, too short, and too special to focus on the money. Hug your loved ones, create memories, and always live for the meaning.

Removing the Option

I'm a broken record on this topic, but credit cards aren't our friend. Every time the words "it's a tool," "just need to be responsible," or "we pay it off every month" are uttered, I know how the story will eventually end. Family, after family, after family, after family is literally being destroyed by these things, and it's getting hard to stomach. Credit cards work really, really well...... until the moment they become our worst nightmare.

Every time I say such slanderous words, I get mocked and ridiculed. To some extent, I get it. My sentiment flies in the face of society, and I look like a complete weirdo. But if you could see the things I see, have the conversations I have, and provide the shoulder to cry on that I provide, I think you'd have a much different perspective.

There's one sentiment that I share over and over again with families. If you allow credit cards to be an option, you WILL use the option. It's the path of least resistance.....until it becomes THE resistance. It's the remedy that immediately solves your problems.....or so it seems. It's the action that takes your stress level from a 90 to a 10.....for a while. Credit cards are a great band-aid, but a lousy tourniquet.

If I could make one general recommendation to every single person who reads this article, it would be to remove credit cards from your life. Perhaps you're the exception who can use them well.....but probably not. That's the problem with exceptions; everyone thinks they are the exception. That's what happens with so many of the people in my life. They believe they are being wise, strategic, and resourceful. Then, it catches up to them. Not immediately. It may take 2 years, or 5 years, or 10 years, or even 20 years. But when it does, watch out! It's a curse I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

If credit cards are an option, we WILL use the option. For that very important reason, I couldn't recommend more that we remove the option altogether. I removed the option from my life more than 10 years ago. Had I not, I most assuredly would have used the option at some point. Life is messy, life is hard, and life is unpredictable. But if the option isn't on the table, we must find other, much better options.