SLEEPING ON BALLOONS
- Mario Foston
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
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For about 6 years, it was the same scenario every night. We would lay our tired bodies across the blow-up mattress we had purchased to fit our king-sized platform bed. It was a ritual steeped in the belief that immediate financial sacrifices would yield hefty investment opportunities for our children and ourselves spiritually and materially in the future. My husband would tease that we were sleeping on balloons.
Surprisingly, our sleep was comfortable and peaceful – until it wasn’t. After about 4 years, the neck, back, knee and elbow pain would sometimes punch us simultaneously in the early morning hours and would wrestle with one or both of us on and off so that when it was time to get up we were already run-down and cranky. Still…we didn’t cave, and it would be another 2 years before we finally decided that we had prevailed financially and our situation warranted a really good, quality mattress. Of course, a mattress may seem like a small thing, but that expense, along with our other expenses, made it necessary to sacrifice for the future of our family. During the course of those 6 years, we went from struggling, to living paycheck-to- paycheck-to-financial freedom, which gave us the ability to save and manage the appropriate investments necessary to yield benefits for both our children and ourselves.
The point is there are times when we absolutely must sacrifice. Indeed, sacrifices are simply adjustments we make until such time as our challenges or obstacles are over. When the goal or purpose reaches fruition, our sacrifice has been fulfilled. Through good times and bad times, remember the following 4 truths:
Life is a gift. It’s worth living and enjoying. Where there is no joy, CREATE IT!
Nothing stays the same. With hard work, but more importantly, smart work, we can change our circumstances and enjoy the outlook as we navigate through our challenges.
Our experiences teach us to do better and be better. In essence, our experiences refine us.
Don’t defy life. Embrace it with the goal of living and learning.
LIVE WELL. SLEEP WELL!
MARIO'S MESSAGE
