As of tomorrow, I'll have paid off the rest of my credit-card debt, which means I'll really be debt-free and able to start investing money. Slay the fatted calf! Mulled wine for all! There was a hiccup in my debt payoff thanks to my stroke, to the tune of an extra $3000, but with this upcoming wire transfer to the States, that will all be taken care of, and I'll have no debt but whatever I pay monthly to maintain my PNC Bank account and my CubeSmart public-storage space in Virginia. This should also mean my credit rating ought to go up to around 800 or 850, as I'll essentially be debt-free. Feels good.
It's funny, though: I'm a cynic about how the cosmos works, and I've joked before—long before the stroke—about how God was going to throw a monkey wrench in the works because it's been determined that Kevin can never have nice things without a price. And so I predicted that, once I got out of scholastic debt (which I did last December), some calamity would befall me, something to keep me financially underwater just a little longer. And sure enough—stroke. I never specifically predicted I'd have a stroke; I was thinking more along the lines of cancer or a heart attack. So God threw me a curve on that score. But the basic prediction came through, and I doubt this will be the only speed bump—financial or otherwise—between now and whenever I'm in the ground or scattered to the winds.
So I live life from moment to moment and try to enjoy the good stuff when it happens, dealing with the bad stuff on a case-by-case basis.
Congrats, dude. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have that weight lifted off of you.
ReplyDeleteAnd no doubt God was trying not to be too predictable with the stroke. He's got a tough job, you have to admit, winging all those curveballs all over the universe.
"I can only imagine what it must feel like to have that weight lifted off of you."
ReplyDeleteThat statement has special significance after ten weeks of hard dieting and exercise. But yes, in all senses, a weight has been lifted.
I'd say your relatively mild stroke was God's wake-up call that set you on a course for your new healthy lifestyle. Actually, I WOULDN'T say that because I'm not a believer in that sort of God, but you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on paying off the debt and reclaiming your freedom! You are doing much better in that regard than the vast majority of your fellow countrymen.