Nothing to complain about

Life has really been challenging me this week. But then again, not really. Yeah, that makes a lot of no sense, doesn't it?

See, I've been having to spend a whole lot of time on my finances this week, and it's a bit depressing. A few years ago my grandparents passed away and they left their heirs very comfortable. I mean very. Don't get me wrong, we didn't become millionaires over night or anything, but if we invested right we would have had pretty much worry-free retirements.

Since that time, my MS managed to progress to the point where I no longer have the bandwidth to hold a full-time job, so any ability to add to rather than subtract from my savings has been a challenge. I didn't freak about that initially because, like I said, there really was quite a bit of money. So, I didn't feel the need to severely curtail much spending. I didn't go out and buy a bigger house, an expensive car or take a monster vacation because none of those things is me. I put money into my home: a mack-daddy deck and hardscape in the back yard and furniture were my largest expenditures. Honestly, I'd say a total of $30k.

Meantime, the Wall Street meltdown. Really, MS or not, can anyone understand why and how things like mortgage and credit default swaps were ever thought up or allowed to happen? The only word I can come up with is "greed", plain and simple. And the economists, polticians and pundits who were advising all of us little, ignorant investors were way wrong, weren't they? Well, seeing as how bitching, whining and pinning blame isn't solving the problem, the only thing I can say is they are all bastards and I hope they rot in hell.

My friend Nancy is dealing with her husband's chronic illness which has kept him in the hospital for the past month, where he was on the brink of death a few times.

Blogger Sherry is struggling with the sudden, tragic loss of her daughter; her grief is palpable.

Me? I can still walk, my home is paid off, my nieces and nephews are thriving, my brother and sister are truly my friends, and my boyfriend is still my perfect partner. Of course I have days where I get pissy. But there is absolutely, positively no reason to whine - and if I do, I hope somebody calls me on it, k?