Love and Money

The two subjects which can take us to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows are Love and Money. Incredible joy, and excruciating pain. Yet, why is it we receive so little education regarding these two topics? Education, you ask? Yes….. about how Money will affect us throughout our lives, and the best ways to handle it. Also, how Love and who we love affects our happiness.

Money has had an influence on the masses throughout the ages. For the rich, little formulas and secrets are often handed down from generation to generation. Perhaps that is why we hear comments like, “Money follows money.” How many of us received in elementary school any form of classes in how to spend and save and may I say, invest? That may be changing….it is not uncommon to see a school class of 8 or 9 year olds forming stock clubs in order to invest and understand how money works. Better late than never…..but it sure has taken a long time. When I was going to school all we cared about was how much candy and clothes we could buy each week!! Money affects our lives daily, whether we like it or not. The more we understand, the better off we will be. There are plenty of books that can be purchased or picked up at the local library…it’s important that we totally understand how Money leaves our pockets, where it goes, and what we have to show for it at the end of the day.
Love is a word that is easily battered around, but boy, does it have a lasting effect over our lives. With the divorce rate now better than 50%, obviously we’re having a little bit of a problem with the word Love, as a society. In our younger years we walked around as teenagers waiting for a bolt of lightening to come out of the sky and hit us, to tell us, “There is the person of your dreams!!!” believing that all we had to do was get married, and everything else would take care of itself. No more effort required. Wrong…..that’s when the work begins! How many of us spend an hour or two each week talking to our spouses or loved ones about how we feel about each other? Love is something that has to be worked at daily, whether we like it or not. We can never say “I love you,” enough. It is truly important to not mistake abuse for Love. Love that is abusive is not Love.

In this day and age, these two subjects, Love and Money, are at war with each other. How many families, because of the need for Money, have very little time left over to exchange Love? In my area it’s not uncommon to see Mom and Dad leaving the house at 7 in the morning and returning home by 8 in the evening, five days a week, using the weekend as a way to catch up, first of all on sleep, second of all, on family. How many of us find ourselves, time after time, having to choose between what comes first, Money, or Love? There are exceptions to the rule. People who work together or people working at home….but these are far and few between.

To find a solution we must understand that Money engulfs the mind, and Love embraces the heart. Both are needed to sustain our quality of life. The better control we have over our finances, the more time will be available for Love. In the end, it is the Love we take with us.

Take the time to love,