This morning, I checked the balance on my checking account. It read, in that cold yellow, "$9.62". I knew it was going to be low. I've already accepted that. College ain't cheap and neither is food. But, I did something with that $9.62.
A background:
I'm kind of in an unfortunate situation. My parents don't make enough money to pay for my education, but they make too much for me to qualify for financial aid. My father, being a surgeon, is doing okay, but money is tight for him now, too. Gas prices have been up, the mortgage on the relatively new house is sucking up funds (thankfully, he was not one of the many who were destroyed by the subprime mortgages), and he has to provide most of the funds for the care of my sister and two step-siblings, one of whom has Asperger's Syndrome.
My father is one of the most dedicated workers I know. Growing up was rough with a surgeon as a Dad. I love him and honor his profession, but, as my sister and I say, there's a reason that the children of surgeons don't want to be one. His hours were sporadic and long. Holidays and weekends didn't mean anything - people get sick year round. My mother, a nurse, helped filled this role. She did a phenomenal job. That is, until she unfortunately came down with an irreversible neurological disorder. I don't like talking about this much with those I don't know, but it was crippling - before she died, she could no longer walk, talk, or feed herself. I've missed her terribly, but, I'm sure that she would love to see me going on as I am.
My step-mother is also a nurse, but that's not paying so well anymore. The pay was never particularly good, so she's looking into another profession to help out with the money situation at home. She was a single mother for years and she's done an absolutely phenomenal job raising those children, especially considering the circumstances (but I would say the same without). My step-siblings are young - one is in elementary school, the other will shortly be in middle school. They have years of education left and I wish them the best of luck. I'm not home, so I won't be able to help them, but I hope that they know that they can ask to help whenever they want it. I'm their brother, dammit - I'll be there.
Finally, there is my sister, who is about to go to college on her own. Although she'll be out of the house, which means less financial burden on the rest of my family - she'll still have to pay for her education. A large chunk of that will come from our mother's social security money, wisely saved by my father for our education. She will shortly find out how college is different and that she will soon be embarking on an age of independence - something that seems wonderful and idealistic, but quickly turns to something altogether horrifying. If she needs anything, I will do my absolute best to help her.
All of this entails that I'm a little short on funds. I have a pile of loans which will hit me as soon as I stop going to college. Fortunately, I intend to go to grad school and become a professor, which means years of no payments - but I can't ignore them forever. I have a job on campus, but the pay isn't spectacular and can't be used to fully support myself. I had previously received money by purposefully overpaying my tuition, but that ran out - I used some of it on a trip during spring break. I know, I know, I should be more careful with my money, right? Well, besides a near-total mental breakdown shortly before break, I had done the math and found that I should be able to keep enough left over to still survive the rest of the semester. Unfortunately, I was not aware of how crazy expensive the GRE's would be. It would be tough.
Still, I told myself, you can do this. Just eat whatever food you have, only by non-perishables, tell people you can pay them back if necessary. It will be okay.
I read RenaRF's diary. I could have just commented, saying that I gave the last of my money to Obama's campaign. I could have said that I don't think I'll be able to eat anything but cereal until my next paycheck comes in. I could have said that this is the first time I've ever donated to a campaign.
No, I'm not going to call for action. ReanRF did that superbly; you can decide what to do with your money. It's not mine to choose. I just want to remind you what I did this for:
Healthcare - so that patients aren't just kicked out and my father can go about his job, not worrying about insurance. (He advocates a single-payer system, by the by.)
The economy - so that my family can survive without worrying about every paycheck.
Labor - so that nurses and janitors and everyone in this country can get paid a fair wage for the toiling, but wholly necessary jobs they do.
Education - for my siblings' and their future.
Poverty - because there are circumstances beyond our control and only now can I even begin to try to understand what the poor go through on a daily basis.
Global Warming, Conservation, Oil consumption - so that we can all have and Earth to live on.
And all the other issues that don't directly relate to me and my family, but that issues that affect others that I still have a huge concern for: the senseless War in Iraq, the ability for a woman to choose her health options, fair legislation so that my being a white male doesn't make my success possible, the horrifying surveillance state, torture, the treatment of labor around the world, and on and on. It's only my second diary, give me some time before I go into detail on these issues. (I will. Just watch me.)
So, tomorrow, when I go to find that I have zero dollars and zero cents in my account, I'll know that I gave that $9.62 to Obama in the hope that we fix these things. Not completely and not all at once, but at least it's a start.
That's all I can give him. That's all I can ask for.