Every now and again I like to check out The Daily Post for writing inspiration. They have different challenges and ideas to help the creative juices flow. One of their writing exercises caught my eye:
Every city and town contains people of different classes: rich, poor, and somewhere in between. What’s it like where you live? If it’s difficult for you to discern and describe the different types of classes in your locale, describe what it was like where you grew up — was it swimming pools and movie stars, industrial and working class, somewhere in between or something completely different?
Saskatoon has all classes - rich, middle and poor. To be honest, I don't know what the rich people could possibly do in Saskatoon to become rich! I'm thinking most of them would be surgeons, dentists or executives. And our "rich" class would probably pale in comparison to what rich means in other parts of North America. There are some million dollar homes in areas like The Willows but that's about as conspicuous as it gets. The millionaires are probably just as likely to be lined up at Extra Foods like anyone else.
We also have poverty in our city, particularly on the west side of town. In Saskatoon, almost half of all food bank users are children. The inner city core tends to be a bit of a food desert - fresh fruits and veggies aren't easy to access. They've tried to establish grocery stores in the downtown area but they never seem to last. We have our share of homeless people on the streets. You have to be pretty down and out to be sleeping outside in Saskatoon during our winters.
My family was always middle class, and my lifestyle as an adult is middle class. My dad made a good living as a post-secondary teacher, enough that for many years my mom was able to be a stay-at-home mom. We had enough for our needs and plenty of our wants. We didn't have a fancy lifestyle - we lived in a modest 3-bedroom bungalow, and family vacations were always road trips to visit family in B.C. or Alberta. But I had a childhood that was free from financial stress. I always knew there would be food on the table and presents for birthday/Christmas. I took a lot of things for granted, because most of my friends lived in similar circumstances.
When I was in my Bachelor of Education program, we had a guest speaker at one of my classes. It was a teacher who had started her career in a middle-class school, and then had moved to an inner city school. She talked about some of the differences. For example, in the middle-class school, children had a separate pair of shoes that were just for gym class. In comparison, the inner city kids were lucky to have one decent pair. At the middle-class school, anytime she wanted to have the children go on a field trip she would just send a letter home saying how much money parents needed to send. There were never any questions asked or problems covering these extras. In contrast, field trips weren't an option at the inner city school. This teacher had been my teacher once, and she was describing my middle-class upbringing. I had never thought of myself as particularly privileged but of course I was. We all were. Not that we didn't have problems, but we were very, very lucky.
My good fortune has continued into my adult life. I am lucky that for most of my career I've had jobs that paid me well - enough to buy a home, travel a couple times a year, pay for a Masters degree, put food on the table (without stressing over budget), and still have money left for emergencies, savings, and other stuff (like buying a new car or renovating the bathroom). Dennis and I have quite a bit of financial freedom because we have two incomes and no dependents. We get to be self-indulgent to a certain degree.
I appreciate everything I have. I've also worked hard for everything I have. We try to be smart with our money because it's always easier to spend it than make it! You also just never know what kind of curve ball life will throw you. We might not always be able to earn the incomes that we do. We try to enjoy our present while also being mindful of the uncertainty of the future.
Every city and town contains people of different classes: rich, poor, and somewhere in between. What’s it like where you live? If it’s difficult for you to discern and describe the different types of classes in your locale, describe what it was like where you grew up — was it swimming pools and movie stars, industrial and working class, somewhere in between or something completely different?
Saskatoon has all classes - rich, middle and poor. To be honest, I don't know what the rich people could possibly do in Saskatoon to become rich! I'm thinking most of them would be surgeons, dentists or executives. And our "rich" class would probably pale in comparison to what rich means in other parts of North America. There are some million dollar homes in areas like The Willows but that's about as conspicuous as it gets. The millionaires are probably just as likely to be lined up at Extra Foods like anyone else.
We also have poverty in our city, particularly on the west side of town. In Saskatoon, almost half of all food bank users are children. The inner city core tends to be a bit of a food desert - fresh fruits and veggies aren't easy to access. They've tried to establish grocery stores in the downtown area but they never seem to last. We have our share of homeless people on the streets. You have to be pretty down and out to be sleeping outside in Saskatoon during our winters.
My family was always middle class, and my lifestyle as an adult is middle class. My dad made a good living as a post-secondary teacher, enough that for many years my mom was able to be a stay-at-home mom. We had enough for our needs and plenty of our wants. We didn't have a fancy lifestyle - we lived in a modest 3-bedroom bungalow, and family vacations were always road trips to visit family in B.C. or Alberta. But I had a childhood that was free from financial stress. I always knew there would be food on the table and presents for birthday/Christmas. I took a lot of things for granted, because most of my friends lived in similar circumstances.
When I was in my Bachelor of Education program, we had a guest speaker at one of my classes. It was a teacher who had started her career in a middle-class school, and then had moved to an inner city school. She talked about some of the differences. For example, in the middle-class school, children had a separate pair of shoes that were just for gym class. In comparison, the inner city kids were lucky to have one decent pair. At the middle-class school, anytime she wanted to have the children go on a field trip she would just send a letter home saying how much money parents needed to send. There were never any questions asked or problems covering these extras. In contrast, field trips weren't an option at the inner city school. This teacher had been my teacher once, and she was describing my middle-class upbringing. I had never thought of myself as particularly privileged but of course I was. We all were. Not that we didn't have problems, but we were very, very lucky.
My good fortune has continued into my adult life. I am lucky that for most of my career I've had jobs that paid me well - enough to buy a home, travel a couple times a year, pay for a Masters degree, put food on the table (without stressing over budget), and still have money left for emergencies, savings, and other stuff (like buying a new car or renovating the bathroom). Dennis and I have quite a bit of financial freedom because we have two incomes and no dependents. We get to be self-indulgent to a certain degree.
I appreciate everything I have. I've also worked hard for everything I have. We try to be smart with our money because it's always easier to spend it than make it! You also just never know what kind of curve ball life will throw you. We might not always be able to earn the incomes that we do. We try to enjoy our present while also being mindful of the uncertainty of the future.