Abuelita (Grandma)

Full disclosure (that's not my abuelita)

Because my mother so loved her mother, many of our vacations were spent at mi abuelita’s house in Mexico.  I have many fond memories of our vacations en el Humo, Veracruz (an island).  What’s not to like, by comparison it would be like visiting your grandmother who lives in Hawaii.

At the age of 8 or 9 years old, there was always someone to take me fishing off of a boat, or one of my uncles would take me for rides on a speed boat.  All I know is that I haven’t seen a speed boat more impressive (other than the ones they used on the TV series Miami Vice).  My uncle’s speed boat had dual outboard Mercury motors.  He could turn that boat on a dime, and go so fast that he could create a large whirlpool.  I remember that he was a daredevil, and would always pull out of the turns just before losing control of the boat.

 

Plenty of wild life, chickens, dogs, pigs, cows, donkeys, goats, etc., etc.  The locals got their drinking water from underground natural springs.  There was a sweet taste to the water.  My grandmother owned and operated a “puesto,” (small general store), and she let me work there whenever we visited.  Her merchandise included: eggs, raspas, sodas, pan dulce, carne seca, especies, Manteca, galletas, dulces, agua fresca, café, leche, and anything you can think of including navajas para resurar (shaving blades-Gillette).  Please don’t think of the bulk purchases we make today.  I am talking about one blade at a time, two or three eggs at a time, and so on.  Maybe that’s where the label convenience store originated.

 

In retrospect, just maybe that’s where my entrepreneurial spirit got its start.  The bottom line is that you couldn’t plan a better vacation for a fast growing city boy.  While on vacation, our most common meals consisted of seafood’ shrimp, prawns, lobster, oysters, fish and crab.  Caldo de marisco was on the menu on any given day.  I remember my grandmother always being apologetic for the poor people’s meals.  I guess she didn’t realize that we couldn’t afford to eat like that in the U.S..  I almost forgot to mention that my mother’s side of the family made their livelihood, from the seafood industry.  I come from a long line of fishermen.

My favorite line is; "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will drink for a lifetime (just kidding)."  Lo major de los tiempos…..

On Being Wealthy

On Being Wealthy

I was born to a very loving and giving couple.  If I had a choice and could pick my own parents, I would pick the same ones.  My father worked hard and smart to provide for his family (he was and educated man).  My mother came from more humble beginnings, but you would be hard pressed to find a more caring person.  I know that my mother loved me from before I was born, to her last day on this earth.  I can say the same about my father, but he just didn’t show it like my mother did.  Matter of fact, I remember it like it was yesterday, I was 42 years old and had already crossed the security check at the airport in Ontario California on my way to board my return flight home, when my father said the words, “I love you son.”

I’d like to think that it wasn’t a big deal, but it must have been if I still remember the exact moment to this day. There again, this is material for another posting.

From my early years I knew what it was like to enjoy the better things in life.  Before there was pre-school as we know it today, or even Head Start, my parents made a decision that was beneficial to my future.  I was enrolled at the age of four into a prestigious private (pre) school.  That experience and exposure gave me a boost that benefitted me for the rest of my life.  I remember being treated very special, and even lovingly if that’s possible, while at the same time being taught discipline.  By the time I was enrolled in public school I was at least two years ahead of the other students.

Having had a taste of good or decent life has a tendency to drive you to maintain a certain level of comfort.  Life throws a curve at you once in a while that may knock you of course.  The trick is to get back on course as quickly as possible to maintain the momentum.  After my parents divorced (that’s what a curve is) my mother remained single for 3 years before she remarried.  That remarriage landed me in a farm style environment.  I turned lemons into lemonade, and learned all I could from the farm environment and came out stronger (getting back on course).  We are the sum of all of our experiences.

On being wealthy:  it doesn’t matter if you are worth, one thousand or one million dollars.  If you appreciate what you have, you are wealthy.  If you don’t appreciate what you have you will never be wealthy because you’ll never know when you have arrived!  Another word of wisdom is that budgeting successfully is keeping the three legged stool balanced.  One leg is incoming cash, second leg is how much you need to live on, and third leg is outgoing cash.  If you are running low on cash by payday you either don’t make enough (get a part time job or get a better paying job), or lower your living standard (you can’t afford your life style), perhaps you are spending too much on entertainment, or unnecessary luxuries, even helping others may be a luxury you can’t afford.  Bottom line is we are all wealthy within our means; we just need to appreciate what we have.  The best is yet to come…….