Anger Management

Shamelessly convinced to be right, I walked away. The dust, stirred by my haste, blurred those left behind.

The end of the journey, the end of the long walk, revealed the truth. I was wrong . . . maybe. But had I not risked the loss of something, by walking away from it, I never would have thought so. I never would have believed my anger at such a simple thing was groundless. Instead, the intense ire would be burning through every pore until my mind found a million past instances to prove my point.

In the end, my "point" had no value. It didn't matter one iota. It simply was no longer important to waste precious moments proving it.

The ire burned away in the cold dry wind that stung my cheeks and burned my eyes. The dust settled leaving the clarity I sought.

In the end, the value found, was in the walk itself.

The Sea

I dream of a time when I can visit the sea. It seems there will be something missing if I should never touch soft salinity of the ocean.

Sand and the Shadow
A shadow--long and distorted,
Its image pressed into wet sand--
Waits.
The fog of once before dissipates;
Clarity and wisdom remain.
In awe, she stands still,
Watching rare, sacred silent waves
Slide over wounded sand.
Dancing ripples sparkle and fuse
Into a sleepy sun.
She sucks moist air,
Drawing the essence from a tranquil sea.
In this place,
There is purpose.
Finding her peace,
She shifts her weight slightly,
Forcing sand between toes,
And waits.

Shauna Chan©

Cost of Living

Too wealthy to be considered poor, yet too poor to own a home or afford health insurance.

What is this phenomenon? Middle class? Not according to the stats in this city. The "middle class" refers to those raking in great annual sums of $80K. Not too shabby if you ask me. What about those pulling in a meager $35K?

Well you can't buy a home with $35K a year. At least not here. So, what's a person to do when they can no longer afford to live where they work? Where do you go when you've poured everything you have into exhorbitant rental fees leaving no funding for an escape?

And health care--what about it? What is it with paying workers just enough to entice them with the idea of having health care, but not allowing them enough to actually afford it? Dangled carrots of hope, this offered insurance is, swinging before your eyes just to keep you interested. Something is wrong with having to pay hundreds of dollars a month to keep insurance for your family, only to be hit with a huge deductible you can no longer afford--because you've been paying hundreds of dollars a month to have insurance!

Is it my imagination, or is there something wrong with this picture?

I worry about people. One can't complain too much or they are labeled a whiner. Some say if you have financial problems it's up to you to fix them yourself. Of course, that's easy to say for one who has more than enough funds. What about regular people? Those whose pay has not kept up with rising costs, what of them? What happens when you are bombarded with medical expenses, auto repair expenses, housing expenses all at once and no resources to fall back on? How does one handle these issues alone?

Contrary to what some may believe, people don't enjoy receiving handouts. Most people want to make their own way. I just wonder who has set the standard that we are all to live by. Who decided to create such a division between the "haves" and "have nots"?

It is a fool who craves the power to have it all, over everyone else. The many dependents inherited by this rise to the top can topple the perspective at a moment's notice.