Today is Labor Day, a day to celebrate the workforce and give people a day to rest from chasing that American Dream of financial prosperity.
Realizing that she is in no way measuring up to the American ideal of success, former Racer Meghan Tschanz shares about the financial crisis she had at the end of the Race and how she came to the conclusion that her investment in love was worth it.
It’s month 10 on the Race and that means that it is time to start thinking about what I will do when I get home, in the real world. It feels like I am about to born back into America, completely naked.
I don’t really have any idea what path to take when I get home. And on top of that, all I have to offer America are a dirty pack, a tent, and lots of lice shampoo.
To further this feeling I recently got an email from my very wise grandmother telling me to invest in tangible assets like gold instead of the dollar. Words of wisdom coming from a woman who has done very well for herself and paid for my college.
I hear that inflation is on the rise and that the economy is continuing to flounder. You probably know a lot more about this than me because I have spent the last nine months of my life hanging out with prostitutes, lady boys, widows, orphans, and the destitute.
I can give you a first-hand account on what it is like to be sold into prostitution at the age of thirteen and be fighting for your life as AIDS wrecks your body, but I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the DOW Jones or our current President’s financial decisions.
And it got me thinking, what do I have that I could possibly invest in America? I have about $200 to my name and a cheap car. There’s not much I can do with that in the financial world, and at the age of 24 someone might look at me as a financial failure.
That thought put me in a tizzy thinking about all of the things I need, like a IRA or a CPA or a 401k or some other thing that has three letters in it and has to do with money (I worked at a bank and there are a lot of those).
I began to think about what exactly I have been investing in during my adult life.
And out of the melee of thoughts assaulting my mind, one answer came simply and purely: love. I have invested all of me, everything I have, into love.
When I should have begun to put down payments on things like houses and cars, I was caring for the children of trafficked women. When I should have been putting money aside for an early retirement, I was walking the streets of Thailand and making friends with lady boys.
It’s just like the good ole’ boys of Mumford and Sons say “where you invest your love, you invest your life.”
Looking at it in that light, I would say I have invested my love in some pretty incredible places.
Now that might seem like a soft answer to you, it’s definitely one that goes against the American dream. But I would say my investment is paying off pretty well.
It yields friends who will make you sweet tea in India, a cozy place to stay in Nepal, friends who have elephants in their front yard in Africa, and some incredibly encouraging friendships in Ukraine. It means that I am surrounded by fifty other people willing to look after me when I don’t have anything left. That is to say nothing of the growth, compassion, and memories I have made while investing my love.
Don’t get me wrong, I think IRAs and all that jazz are incredibly wise. I plan on taking my grandma’s advice to heart as soon as I have some money in my bank account. I’m just saying it isn’t the first thing we should be investing in.
Money isn’t going to hold your hand after a rough day or rejoice with you at your wedding, but people will.
People change the world, not money. They are alive and breathing and capable of great love, compassion, and sacrifice. And because of that human beings will always be the most valuable investment we could make.
We need each other.
IRAs can be emptied, houses can burn to the ground, and cars depreciate over time. Love is the only thing that continues to multiply the more you give it away.
So please get your CPAs and 401ks, our economy needs it. Just don’t forget that your first investment should always be love.
This Labor day take time to think about what you have been investing in. Is it time that you invested more into love?
Check out our new routes where you will get the opportunity to love all around the world.
