Back in 1980 or so, winter time - snow coming down - beautiful, but colder than a witch's what-a-call-it ... was trying to sell Insurance on Straight Commissions, and failing miserably. At work on Monday morning (PAYDAY) - expected a big check for over $600 for prior week's sales - Received check for $1.56 - Duh? people changed their minds, canceled, and hit with 'charge-backs. Two kids - ten & eight in private parochial school.
Long day at work, making phone calls to try & set appointments, went on one at 6 pm - no sale. Got home to a cold house - out of heating oil! Started a fire in fireplace, went to Ford's store up the road & got $5.00 worth of No. 2 Kerosene. Back home, froze as I poured 5 gallons into pipe out back. Down to basement, had to 'prime' pump in furnace to get it started. It fired up! YAY! We would not freeze tonight! Those 5 gallons would last about 2 days!
WHY? Stubbornness - determined to succeed after investing 6 years into this business - DUMB! Was behind in 3 months' Mortgage payments, but Thank God & Carroll County Bank for working with me! Tevis Oil Co. would NOT deliver unless I paid $150. CASH up front! Credit Sucked!
Just before Christmas, my Boss, Don Silver, the Manager, handed me $450. cash and said: "Fill up your tank, get some presents for the kids - and DON'T pay any bills!" He was Jewish - with a Good Heart - and we were GOYS! This was a meager Christmas, but we survived.
In January, I RESIGNED - got a REAL JOB, in management with a steady paycheck, and caught up all bills! 2.5 years later, we sold our Custom-Built home on 2 Acres for $135,000 - moved into a smaller home (with natural gas heat) and walked away from both settlements with $13,000 CASH IN THE BANK! First time in our lives! We took our two kids to Disney World in Orlando, First 2-week vacation in many years, and lived 'High off the Hog' for quite some time!
Moral of the Story?
Oft-Times, we are our own Worst Enemies!
Sometimes we 'Can't see the Forest for the Trees!'
Often it is necessary to 'Bite the Bullet' -
i.e. give up our WANTS and succumb to our NEEDS!
A lot of PRAYER & BELIEF helps too! Cuz Tom, The Ole Philosopher!
P.S. - 1982 was the last time I MOWED those Damned Two Acres!
Was able to spend ‘More Quality Time’ with my kids, and Wife also!
Sometimes all you can do is keep on keeping on....and you know what...even the blind mouse sometimes finds the cheese.....Thanks for the lesson in perasistance.
Excellent story Tom, thanks...we get stronger surviving what life throws at us...or so I am told...wish, for right now, I felt that way... <smile>...Jurseeeeeeeeeeeey
Great, inspiring story, Tom. So many of us have gone through similar circumstances. Good for you for sticking with "it", "it" being the will to fight on. Since being here, on Authors Den, I find so many of our writers are ill, or depressed or living in or near poverty.I myself did the smartest thing I've ever done by obtaining a "Reverse Mortgage" about three years ago shortly before the bubble burst. And, at weeks from seventy-seven, I still do work, which is physical and I don't work a lot, but enough to subsidize and cover and live a decent life.
Mark
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