Here we are, smackdab in the middle of paying bills for a holiday that feels long since past. Even with that burden of attention that’s required to juggle the things necessary to pay the other things off, I often find myself with a bit of extra energy at this time of year. Maybe having gotten used to tackling the long list of seasonal to-do items that is now empty leaves time and energy for other things. At any rate, I turned my attention to trying once again to organize my papers and books, which lead me to a golden find!
Thankfully I have kept many things. Granted, it’s causing a problem with this organization project, but in this case it provided cause for lots of laughter. It’s an essay I wrote on January 21, 1974 (discovering that’s 50 years ago almost to the day was not lost on me!) It was for grade 7 Language Arts and I’ve just got to share it – don’t worry, it’s short:
‘I think I deserve a better allowance than my sister. I do more things than she does yet she still gets more allowance. I work harder by setting the table, cleaning the house, and doing the dishes. There is quite a big difference between our allowances when they are all added up. My sister gets seventy-five cents a week but I only get fifty cents a week. That’s why I want a bigger allowance.
‘Consequently, she has more money. With that money she has more privileges. She can buy more things and go more places. As a result, I can’t buy as many things as she can and in addition I can’t go as many places. I should make my complaints stronger because I’m getting gipped.’
Okay, firstly, that is an offensive word I would never use now, but I’m leaving it in because it is so badly misspelled it could be mistaken for something else and also because I’m stunned that the teacher didn’t admonish me for using it – even 50 years ago.
Secondly, well, I’m not sure how these two measly paragraphs constitute an essay, but I did get a passing grade. I also left it on the kitchen table for my parents to read and they upped my allowance by 10 cents. Hmmm, still much lower than I clearly deserved! That said, if I had saved those 10 pennies each week for the past 50 years, maybe I wouldn’t be so stressed finding ways to pay holiday bills right now.