There's More To The Story

This Looks Familiar

I had no sooner posted the previous story when I realized there’s more to the story. So the previous story, in essence, is part 1, and this story is similarly part 2.

Spoiler alert – yes, we are there, and yes, we have arrived. Perhaps not by Dave Ramsey’s or Suze Orman’s definition, and perhaps not by your definition. But yes, we are there, and yes, we have arrived – at least by my definition.

According to a Google search I just performed, roughly 308 million people in the US are active on social media. Except for the occasional “cat video,” I am not one of those people. Also, according to Google, there are literally millions of social media influencers with millions and millions of followers. Yeah, as you probably guessed, I am not one of those influencers, nor am I one of their followers.

Note: While a website can be a social media platform, most are not. Most websites, including this one, are static in design and do not provide for interaction. Unlike social media platforms that do provide for interaction. This website nurtures my personal geekiness and exists for entertainment purposes only – mine and, hopefully, yours.

I first embraced the information age in the seventies – bought my first computer in 1981. That said, I have survived well into my seventies without the benefit of social media. Excepting, of course, for those previously mentioned “cat videos.”

Not My There

Now, I do recognize that a lot of useful information is provided via social media. I also know there is a lot of misinformation provided as well. Sadly, it’s not always easy to discern which is which. Further, it would be a pretty weird world if we all looked, talked, walked, and dressed the same.

Recently, I read where a young couple shared their financial woes with Dave Ramsey. They were in debt by several hundred thousand dollars. They each drove luxury vehicles they could not afford. Not surprisingly, they were drowning in debt. They believed they needed to create the appearance that they had arrived. Yep, they had arrived alright. At the poor house. So sad. So very sad.

Yesterday, I saw a headline stating that Suze Orman said $ 2 million was chump change. She said anyone retiring today would need a much larger nest egg. Sorry, Suze, I beg to differ. I’ll bet there are millions of retirees whose nest egg is a lot smaller than 2 million dollars. I would also be willing to bet that they (and we) are doing just fine.

Without a doubt, starting at eighteen and nineteen today is different from what it was in the 60s. Then and now are very dissimilar times. So too are the generational mindsets between boomers and the current generation(s). I doubt anyone today gets as excited as I did the first year I earned $10,000. Fun fact: According to amortization.org, $10,000 in 1960 is equivalent to $107,348.64 in 2025. Which, according to moneywise.com, is well below the average salary that Gen Zs say they need to feel financially healthy.

Yep, We’re Still There

Single-car families today are far fewer than back in the day. Today’s homes have far more modern conveniences than our first home did. No, Judy didn’t use a wringer washer. Then again, we still don’t own a microwave.

As I mentioned in Part 1, life isn’t a board game. And Uncle Wiggily and Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy aren’t waiting at the finish line. There are no trophies. There are no consolation prizes.

Live your life, not somebody else’s. Measure your successes and shortcomings with your tape measure, not somebody else’s. Don’t agonize over the things you wanted to say or do but didn’t. Likewise, don’t berate yourself over the places and foods you wanted to experience but didn’t.

Are we there yet? Yes, we are. We are exactly where we need to be. And tomorrow, no matter where we are, we will be exactly where we need to be. Have we arrived? Yes, we have. Yep, warts and all.

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