Well – it’s 2 o’clock in the morning out here in Ohio, I’m snackin’ on a mini-chocolate crunch bar and sipping at a wonderfully warm cup of – you got it…my Go-Go Juice! All is silent in the house except for purring kitties and snoring children – all who have out done themselves for another year. That’s right – it’s all over. Whew! Another school year has come and gone…and, would you believe it? Not even three hours after coming home jubilantly from school did I hear those dreadful summertime blues – “I’m Bored!” Oh good grief! They usually give me a couple weeks before I hear those words! This proves to be a very long summer. But, after all is said and done, I have much to be proud of as Cassy walked the line in her cap and gown! Oh the tears, the memories of my high school days and the reminder of how many years have flown by. It is truly an accomplishment for us both! Oh Ya! The endless nights of burning candles of homework, the dreaded alarm clock that even beat the rooster’s call – the whining and moaning of going to school, the meetings, the greetings, the TAXI driving…my, my, my. And to think, I only have four more kids to go! LOL! But I have to say, Cassy did a tremendous job at meeting her challenges and getting great grades to boot! Is she college bound? Not just yet. It’s been a very stressful year for the family, so she will probably take a break and help me out some, but she does have her eye on returning to California and possibly going to USC! Hmmm! I’m not sure I see her as a Trojan gal – but on the other, I don’t see her as a Bruin, either! She is naturally gifted in the Arts and has an eye and hand skill in fashion design, architecture, and interior designing, but at the end of her year, she suddenly drew an interest toward education. Yep! She just might turn out to be a teacher. So who knows…the world is her oyster now and the paths ahead are full of adventure and mystery. Reality will also set in as she discovers the cost to paving the way to her dreams. Something we all face, especially today in our devastated economy.
While we as a nation are finally seeing a bit of rebound and that the growth of new business and revenues are slowly increasing, she will be facing high costs to gain the further education and expenses needed to continue her successes. Maybe she’ll be lucky enough to barter her way to a successful career. Think I’m joking? Bartering is gaining a lot of popularity as more and more people find creative means to acquiring needs without paying the hard to get cash.
As millions of US Americans are still out of work and unemployment benefits ending, you’ve read my concerns on the demands of civic organizations and non-profit agencies waning on the abilities to pick up the numerous tabs of needs – and that’s just for basic necessities. What if an individual finds a way to excel himself raising his or her own productivity by offering a service in exchange to acquire a need that someone else has? It’s like taking your cow down to the market and when others can’t give you cold hard cash for a great product, what do you do? You trade it in for two pigs, some eggs and flour.
Now, what if we did that in today’s modern world of business? What if I needed a website built and Mr. IT Guy would be happy to build it for me, but he wants to find a piano tutor for his son and I happen to play piano! So, we trade! We both get what we need and no one pays the cash for it…just our own investment of time. But now, in the art of bartering, it’s not so practical if we each live on the opposite side of the country from each other. So, how do we make this practical? Time banks were developed and are now popping up all over the nation. Anyone can create a group associated with these Time Banks where members would actually invest their “time” by contributing X-Amount of labor hours of their work without getting paid. Let’s say, a hairstylist decides to become a member. This hairstylist would work for four hours each week cutting people’s hair without pay, but the hours are registered with the exchange. One day down the road, when the hairstylist is in need of a service, but cannot pay for it, he/she can then look into using his/her “time” investment dollars to pay for a “wedding cake”. This is what Maria Villacreses did for her wedding as stated by Michael Rubinkam, an Associated Press writer when he published her story as well as the stories of other “Time Dollar” members. Click here to read the article. According to the article, there are approximately 115 Time Banks across the country with another 100 preparing for new development and membership has risen above 15,000 people. One bank is listed to be over 10 years old. Ten years old! I didn’t know these types of banks existed! Now, how cool is that? And, what better time to have such resources made available to the public. Now it’s just a matter of time in getting the word out on the street! No doubt more and more people will take advantage of this amazing opportunity to beat the economic woes! So, there you have it…Cassy just might get through college with Time Dollars – sense and time well spent! No pun intended! LOL.
So dear friends and valued readers – sip your Go-Go Juice and enjoy its every drop. It may have been made available to you by someone looking to trade. Have a wonderful week ahead and don’t get too caught up into the summertime blues. I’ll have upcoming tips for some wonderful trips – where of course you’ll be able to take your Go-Go Juice as well. Blessings!
