Secrets to Perfect American House, Car, Family: Part II
]As discussed in "My Neighbor Has Greener Grass....," for 20 years, I was on a quest to find the secret to how some Americans, like many of my neighbors, find enough time and money to have perfect-looking houses, cars, and families. There is no doubt that Americans are very hard working and often have good work ethics. But there is more to this, which I have discovered and would like to share with those who wonder about the perfect-looking life they see in American Movies:
- My neighbors are mostly at work between sunrise and 5 -6 PM. Some drive long distances to keep jobs that pay at least $US 100,000 a year. They mostly have 2-3 cars in the house, one SUV and one luxury car like BMW or Lexus.
- Many belong to expensive healthclubs ($200 a month) and go there 2-3 times a week to stay in shape and look fit.
- Many have NO kids or 1 child. Younger children spend most of the day at daycare or with babysitters (or European Au pairs). Older kids and teenagers spend time after school with their friends, on-line, or on their ipods or cell phones.
- The perfect lawn is maintained by landscaping companies (twice a week in summer) managed by Americans with Mexican employees.
- The cleaning of the houses is done by Merry Maids and other housekeeping people.
- I rarely see anyone in the beautiful neighborhood except for a few "nights" a year of "Loud" parties.
So, it looks like the key to a perfect-looking house and life is working harder to make money and to look perfect, which means having less time to enjoy the "perfect-looking house and family." As the old American saying goes: "You Can't Have your Cake and Eat it too!"
So it turns out that the lawn mowing Mexicans, the maids, and I, enjoy the beautiful views of my neighbors' house more than they do. Their kids often seem unhappy and into their own world (hopefully not into drugs, smoking, alcohol, careless sexual affairs, etc.). Wives often seem nervous somehow interested (hopefully Not fancying) in Soap Operas and TV series like "Desperate Housewives," which usually promote affairs and betrayal!
No life is perfect and we all have to prioritize our time and money on what's important to us. Sometimes I think if some of my neighbors cared for their own lawn and housekeeping, they would get a good exercise, so they would not have to spend time and money (gas, and health club membership) to go to the gym 3 times a week. They would also save money on landscaping and maids. With the saved money and time, they would have to work less or closer to home, and even have more time to spend with family and enjoy the house, albeit less perfect-looking now.
A few years ago, one of the most beautiful houses on the block was vacated because, sadly, the owner, a 40-year-old executive at Bank of America, passed away and left his wife and 3 boys a lot of money.
There is famous parable that a rich man and his son saw a poor man and his son fishing. The rich man's son asks his dad if they can do the same. The Rich man says: "I have to work this weekend." The son asks why. The rich man: "If I meet this deadline, I will get a raise." The son wonders; "Then?" The rich man continues: "With my promotion and raise, in about 3 years, we can afford to buy a house in cape Cod by the water." The son is still unconvinced: "Then?" The father continues: "Then we can go there 1-2 weeks a year on my vacation and enjoy fishing and the lake." The son looks at his dad and says: "Just like this boy and his dad are already doing, except they do it every weekend and without worries!"
So the next time you or someone like my dad, envies perfect-looking people, houses and cars, remember there is a cost for everything. We're all given the SAME EQUAL amount of the most precious commodity in the world, "Time," how we spend it depends on how we prioritize our projects in life. Also remember, "Morghe Hamsaye Ghaze" or as in American: "Grass is Greener on the Neighbor's Side."
Also, read about "American Beauty" in My Hot American Movie List.As always comments are welcome
