Mar 11 2009
I had to ask for Help!
I’m sure I’m not alone in this; I’m sure I’m not the only one who hoped beyond hope that I wouldn’t have to do this; I’m sure that I speak for many when I say I was just praying for things to get better.
But I had to ask for help because things are not getting better! I’m talking about, YUP, you guessed it, FINANCIAL help!
I have been laid off. I’m heading for trouble. Well, I’m actually already there, but I’m trying to ward off more trouble. I had to ask my financial institution to rework my loan. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I thought it would be audible to the very nice lady who I sobbed my story to.
I’ve always managed, SOMEHOW, to come out of these times. I worked so hard to get my financial reputation to a respectable level. You know after college, I had a run of bad luck, or maybe more accurately, a run of not so wise decisions. Either way, I was among the young college grads who had nothing to call her own, except debt.
It took nearly 10 years to get to the point where all I had to do was sign my name on the dotted line and credit was granted to me. I finally felt like an adult. I had a great job, a wonderful man, a healthy attitude, a fantastic lifestyle.
Then, slowly, things begin to happen. I still was okay, I made some adjustments and remained responsible and diligent in protecting what I had worked so hard to achieve. Then, slowly, more things began to happen, and then things were happening not slowly, but very quickly. In a matter of just one year, I was in a terrible spot.
Still, somehow, I managed to keep above water. Still, I fought to protect my reputation because at this point, it was all I had to rely on.
Finally, it happened; I lost my job and had to apply for unemployment. And we all know what that means; what income we had is reduced to HALF! And I had to face the reality that I could no longer keep above water with my income reduced that much. So I did the only thing I could think of; I called my bank and told them what was going on.
For the first time, since I started using this particular bank, nearly 15 years ago, I actually felt like more than just a number to them. They were nice, helpful, appropriately sympathetic, and surprisingly appreciative that I called to admit I could no longer make the expected payments.
How’s that for a reality check? Maybe I’ll start to believe again that asking for help is sometimes the best and only way to help yourself. Some of this reality is that money - whether you have a lot of it or none at all - isn’t what makes the world go round. Sure it makes the world a smoother place, but the world will continue to go on regardless of who has millions and/or who doesn’t have even two nickels to rub together.
You can call me idealistic if you want, I don’t mind, it’s not the worst thing you could call me! But I’ll just go back to what I said before; SOMEHOW, I’ll get through this. I’ll bounce back, begin again to rebuild, continue on my Quest.
I’ll tell everyone I know how kind my bank was to me, I’ll tell everyone I know that it’s not shameful to ask for help, and I’ll continue to carry the knowledge that eventually, everything will be okay.
