by Roxanne -

Secret of Wealth From Ancient Babylon

Photo USMint.gov

What does it mean to “live within your means”? A SNL skit with Steve Martin, Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford, is based on this idea.

This skit takes a new look at ancient wisdom. In ancient Babylon people had already learned how to steward resources. And we do steward them. The resources we have are not ours. We don’t take anything with us when we leave this earth.

Here’s the secret Babylonian wisdom that will provide you with wealth and prosperity as long as you live:

1. Give 10% away

2. Save 10% for emergencies and retirement

3. Live on the remainder

Give first. Give back in gratefulness some of what the universe has generously given to you. You will care for others. This is necessary for the benefit of living within a society or living with others. Our society creates systemic poverty because we haven’t yet figured out how to meet every one’s basic needs equitably. Situational poverty will continue to exist because accidents happen, people get sick and people are born with health problems and disabilities. Those who can earn need to contribute to the social safety net for those who struggle.

Next, pay yourself. You will be providing for yourself in old age and you will have resources should you encounter hard times. It is enough to save 10%. Notice that it isn’t even necessary to invest in real estate or the stock or bond markets. It is enough that you simply and consistently save 10% of what you earn.

Finally, live on the remainder. You will be living comfortably within your means. Being an adult means learning that we can’t have everything we want. Being an adult means having the maturity to plan for the future and the discipline to deal with what actually is, today.

Foster a sense of contentment within yourself. How best to do this? When we stop comparing we are more likely to be content. Turn off the TV. TV is junk food for the mind. Without TV you will have less opportunities to make comparisons.

Learn to use what you have in unexpected ways.

Don’t purchase something if you can borrow it or substitute it with something else that will work just as well.

Learn to not cling to material things. After all we are not our homes, cars, clothes, jobs or successful children. Develop a sense of detachment. This is not indifference – but rather, it is not allowing external things or circumstances to determine our self worth and happiness in life.

In the end, what we have is all we need.

You may also like Happiness is a Choice, The Richness of Simplicity, A Year Without Buying Clothes and Do You Need a High Approval Rating?

by Roxanne -

Does Everyone Have a Voice?

Photo gscnc.org

This article in the New York Times reminds me this Memorial Day that the point of living in a democracy or a democratic republic is to make sure that everyone has a voice. In this article both Republicans and Democrats have missed the point regarding voting regulations.

Currently too many don’t have a voice in our country. Both parties have failed in making sure that every voice is heard. If we really wanted to hear every voice we would change the way voting is carried out.

For example, voting on a Tuesday is very convenient for those working in white collar jobs, those with cars and those who have the luxury set their own working hours. However limiting voting to one day during the week means that the working poor may not be able to leave their jobs to vote. Even though the law allows it, the reality is that day laborers can’t afford to lose any pay, and if employers replace them what actual legal recourse do they have?

For those who rely on public transportation, there may not be enough time after work to get to a polling place. The same is true for single parents or those who care for the disabled or elderly.

Why not vote over 3 or 4 days so the the working poor would have a chance to vote on their day off? Voting over several days, including weekend days, would allow the elderly and others more opportunity to arrange a ride to their polling place.

We should think critically about the voices that aren’t represented in our democratic republic. Who speaks for children? Who speaks for those with disabilities? Who speaks for the elderly? Who speaks for those who are sick? Who speaks for new immigrants? How does our democratic republic allow their voices to be heard?

In the end, as the ancient Greeks knew, any society is only as good as the weakest among us. How are the voiceless faring in our nation?

Check here to see what constitutes “note faring well” or living in poverty.

Then go here to learn more.

You may also like Budget Policy Choices, Cinco de Mayo and New Books.

by Roxanne -

Come to the Feast!

Jesus’ image for the Kingdom, salvation or healing and wholeness is most often a wedding banquet, a dinner or a feast. Life can be a feast – if we enter in.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus moves from one dinner, one feast, to another. The gospel of Luke is a series of dinners, feasts and banquets. Ask yourself “Why?”

Entering into the feast is not about creating a life of comfort. Rather it is about entering more deeply into life and allowing it to wash over us. This is a risk. Life is a risk. God took this same risk in creating a world with free will, a world free to be and to choose. We, in God’s image, must also take this risk.

In the gospels, the authors have Jesus using the Greek term metanoia. Originally this was translated as “repent.” But the modern meaning of this word means we miss the original meaning. Metanoia means “change your mind” or “see reality differently.” Jesus’ concern was not that we would do something wrong or “sin.” Rather his concern is that we would view life wrongly and miss the feast.

Jesus wanted us to enter into the feast – the feast of life, the feast of the world. All are invited. Think of the movie Harry Potter and the feasts at Hogwarts. This is a marvelous image of a feast! Everyone gathers. There are untold delights to sample, savor and explore. There is abundance – enough for all. Conversations happen. Thoughts and feelings are shared.

In Jesus’ banquets we come to be served and to serve. Serving is how we are re-oriented outward or healed. Healthy relationships must be mutual.

All have a place at the table. Can you change your mind? Can you see the enchanted feast of your life?

You may also like Babette’s Feast, Movie “Waitress” It’s All in the Pie, You’re Invited!.

by Roxanne -

End of the World

Photo NASA Photo Journal

“People are making jokes

like there’s no tomorrow.”

Coincidentally, this week my students finished their end of the semester theology unit on Eschatology or “last things.” This is the area of theology that considers what happens at the end of the world, at the end of time or at the end of our lives.

Today is proposed by some to be the last day. The reality is that we are always living in end times or the last day. This is because none of us ever knows when our last day will be. Today might actually be my last day. Anything can happen to anyone, and does.

So the question is not, “Is this the last day?” Ask a better question. Ask, “If today is the last day of my life, how would I want to live it?” This question will immediately clarify what is important in your life and where you should strive to spend your time.

At the end of each day reflect back on the day’s events. What if today was the last day of my life, did I spend it the way I would have wanted to? Usually the answer is “yes.” If not – I consider what changes I need to make in my life.

Plan for your future, but live each day as if it were your last. It may be.

You may also like Only 3.9 Billion Years Left, You’re Invited!, Lunar Eclipse, and Doors of Dublin.

by Roxanne -

Picnic in a Jar

Photo TheKitchen.com

Picnic months have finally arrived!  Picnic in a Jar. Now this is a great idea for those of us with plenty of canning jars taking up shelf space.

Here it’s pictured with BBQ beef, coleslaw and baked beans. But why not chili, cheddar cheese, sourcream & cornbread on top, or chicken & rice salad with sliced apples, or a fresh pita quarters with spicy hummus and olives?

Instead of lemonade, I would put lemonana in the second jar. Lemonana is the Israeli answer to sweltering desert summertime heat.

Recipe: Make fresh lemonade. Pour into a jar or water bottle that can go in the freezer. Leave room at the top of the jar for expansion in the freezer. Stuff the jar of lemonade with a handful of fresh mint. Freeze.

Take with you for the day. Enjoy it as it melts. Keep it in your car while you run errands. It will stay cold and fresh until the end of the day. You stay refreshed and hydrated.

For mouth-watering summer meals – fast, easy and delicious check here.

You may also like Super Easy Crockpot Lasagna, Babette’s Feast and Fun Edible Gifts to Make.