My dad used to say, “Write it down or you’ll forget.” He passed away in March. Since then I see life differently.

He was an accountant.

Every penny was important.

A writer knows every word matters.

If it’s a budget or a book, the power is in the pen. Have you truly ever wondered why? It’s simpler than you may realize.

Pushing the pen across the page gives us the opportunity to make a road map for life.

More importantly, it helps us to see where we got off track.

COVID-19 CHANGED the terrain. I think it brought us back to basics. We were limited in what we could do. All my travel plans were cancelled. To make myself feel better I created a new road map. Stay home. Spend less. Be more genu

Stay home. Spend less. Be more genuine. Call my mother. Breathe deeply.

Do you have a road map for 2021 or maybe the next 10 years? It’s never too late to commit to paper what you want to do.

This step makes it concrete.

Today do it differently.

INSTEAD OF a bullet list, take out a sheet of paper. Draw a 2-lane highway. On one side write “Don’t go that way.”

On the other side draw little stick figures or pictures of what you want this year.

You can even color it and make it pretty. The most important thing is to take action.

At the end of the day check your map. Did you get sidetracked and go the wrong way? Did you take an action that led you off the map and into someone else’s terrain.

That’s okay. Course correct when you notice you’ve gotten off track. But remember, you have to write it down or you’ll forget.

I’d love to know how you’re doing with your road map for 2021. Email me at maryjobriggsaustin@gmail.com and share.

Recalling the Carter years

In Jimmy Carter’s last year as president, inflation and mortgage rates more than doubled to 13.5%.

I was building my 1st home for my family.

It was a ‘kit home’ by Capp. All materials arrived by semi-trailer with a seal that did not keep rain out or off the cardboard boxes holding fasteners.

The Capp people and their mortgage folk told me how they would do me a really grand favor by not making me pay on the $55,000 bill until I had the place completed with approval for occupancy.

They didn’t tell me much about how 13% interest would be charged the entire year I busted my buns building the place.

The home ended up with a $99,000 mortgage with nothing for my “sweat equity.”

Tim Houghtaling, San Mateo, FL

The 1st panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency. The 2nd is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity. Both bring a permanent ruin. Both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.

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