I have been sitting back the past two days and realizing the huge hurdle that I finally cleared when I submitted my final paper on 11/15. I must say, life post-grad school is pretty relaxing compared to what I was doing (wake up, work, come home, lectures, school work, reading, writing, sleep, repeat).  Don’t get me wrong, my relaxing lifestyle has not meant that I’ve been sitting home… I’ve gone to visit M&S in CT, spent time at home for Thanksgiving, went to M&L’s wedding, joined the gym, assembled furniture & done a little shopping along the way.  It really is nice to have my life back!

However, this was not really the reason for my post… I stumbled on a tumblr site (http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/) that provided some interesting thought provoking story starters. Among those prompts was the following question:

It’s an interesting thought.  What would happen?  Not to become overly political, but is the US headed in this direction?  When I visited Argentina earlier this year, it was obvious when visiting the small businesses that Argentina is starting to struggle with this since many people would rather collect their welfare checks rather than work.  Some of that same tendency can be seen in parts of the US.  Unemployment remains high, but the number of people willing to work on farms or other difficult jobs does not seem to increase. 

The other spin I had on this is one of Thanksgiving.  I am blessed to have the job I have, to have a family that loves me, to be in good health, to have a lot of friends who care, to be able to buy the food I want, to have a roof over my head, and heat to keep my warm through the central NY winters.   There is a lot to be thankful for.  Some of these blessings were given to me when I was born, others have come through hard work, and dedication. However, none of this can be taken for granted because change is never far away.