You Are Where You Are, And So Are They
Yesterday was a weird day in southern Mississippi. Due to the nasty storm heading in (snowy and cold), everything shut down. No school, businesses closed, and we had to shut down the dry ice factory because our CO2 supplier couldn't make deliveries. The world came to a screeching halt. I spent the day working from my hotel's lobby.
For lunch, I walked across the street and enjoyed Cracker Barrel. I was the only one there, and my waitress was appalled they were even open. At dinner, I walked from restaurant to restaurant, greeted by each with a closed sign or drive-thru only sign. Even Wal-Mart was closed (Wal-Mart was closed!!!!). I eventually found refuge in a nearby Waffle House where the other patrons shared stories of today's "once-in-a lifetime" event.
Wanna see what brought southern Mississippi to its knees?
Oh yeah, and the temp fell to 25 degrees. This isn't me poking fun at them; far from it. Many people I talked to said they hadn't seen snow in 15 years. Some grown adults had never seen snow until yesterday. Here's where I'm going with this. We are where we are. I am where I am. You are where you are. Regardless of what anyone thinks of it, it's the current reality. Southern Mississippi doesn't have the equipment, experience, infrastructure, or culture for this type of weather. On the flip side, I talked to my wife about how the wind chills at home were -25 degrees (NEGATIVE 25 degrees), and we wondered if the kids would have outdoor recess. However, my friend Kevin from northern Minnesota said it was -50 wind chill at his house, making our -25 feel like spring to him. It's all about context. We are where we are.
So many people like to cast judgment and condemnation on other people for their financial failings, shouting down at them to just do it right. Others, on the opposite end of the spectrum, feel defeated by finances. Money hasn't been their strong suit, and they have the scars and regrets to prove it.
We are where we are. The goal shouldn't be to magically become perfect, nor expect people around you to be. Rather, we should get a little bit better this week, then do it again next week. Develop one new skill. Improve one habit. Create one strengthening process. If we think we should (and can) wave a magic wand and drastically improve all the aspects of getting our money right, we'll be sorely disappointed. But if we view it as an iterative process, a journey, we will absolutely get to a better place.
We are where we are…..today. Next week, next month, and next year we'll be somewhere else. And if we do the hard work, it'll be a better place.
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Seriously, how is Wal-Mart closed?!?!