Taking For Granted

Heard a song not long ago which I’ve heard before called “Chicken Fry” which refers to simple pleasures. I can relate to it in many ways. It talks about things like enjoying a pair of jeans, cold beer, fried foods and sunrises.

I live a simple life, overall. While being rich is always a nice thought, I do not stress myself and never have with the goal of extreme wealth. I’m far more interested in security.

I’ll say that I did not grow up with much security. Not even safety was assured. Most people can say that in abstract but it’s a different sense in which I speak. I went to school often with a knife in my pocket. On several occasions I pulled that knife to make it home that day. Eventually, while being an adamant pacifist who studied to be a minister, I learned to fight. To an extreme. To defend myself and my family. Those skills have been used more times than I like.

Food was not a given. I won’t go into details. I will say it helped teach me to cook. Learned to make biscuits and gravy because that was all we would have at times. I’m no stranger to french fry sandwiches. So I know about food insecurity first hand. Fact of life, no animosity.

I spent years in restaurants because I was sure I would be able to eat.

Utilities were turned off uncounted times for uncounted days. Along the way, I learned to make candles from wax, shortening and cooking oil. (That was the 70’s and there were no YT videos to teach you.)

We all survived those times. Since adulthood, I have learned my childhood was worse than many yet so much better than others.

As an adult, some of this led to time in the military. I was at least assured of a roof over my head, food and medical care. By both military and my own efforts I learned many survival skills through the years. Though none of that was enough to keep me in because it was just not my nature. My friends and family all knew that before I went in.

Even after the military, I have gone through times when I lived on things like hot dogs, ramen and potatoes. Lived in a house with no grid electricity for 18 months because of financial limitations brought on by local medical politics and…