After reading the book “How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World“, I came across this letter that the author wrote to his daughter in 1966. I’ve included some excerpts below: …If I could give you just one thing, I’d want it to be a simple truth that took me many years to learn. If…
Author: Steve Ainslie
A Price For Everything
In his book, “How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World“, Harry Browne writes that there is a price to be paid for every choice we make and every action we take. He wrote that even when making carefully considered, deliberate, intentional choices that maximize our happiness, we pay a price. That price may be…
Porch People
When I was a little kid in Tamaqua, I spent a lot of time at my Grandma’s house and at my Aunt Essie’s house. They babysat me, they fed me and I slept over in their homes. They lived in a side by size duplex on Arlington Street in Tamaqua. Grandma and her family on…
Finding Freedom
I have been rereading the book “How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World“ by Harry Browne. It was written 49 years ago but I’m finding that the ideas and way of life he proposes applies as much today as the they did when he wrote the book in 1973. I won’t do a book…
Nobody Cares
In the Bronx Tale, Sonny, a mafia boss, takes a neighborhood kid under his wing. When the boy struggles with challenges from his father, his friends or society, Sonny say, “What they think doesn’t matter. They don’t care about you so why should you care about them? Nobody cares. Nobody cares.” I loved that movie….
Noncompete
I have never been very competitive. When I was a kid, winning races wasn’t important to me (luckily, since I was so slow my sister called me “Steven Turtle Ainslie”). Being first in line, being #1, beating my friends at games, or being the best didn’t motivate me. I derived much more satisfaction from accomplishing…
It All Fades Away
When something upsets me, it can feel all encompassing in the moment. Sometimes that moment extends into hours and occasionally into the next day. Most of the time it doesn’t. Almost everything I think is so important, just isn’t. In a few days or weeks, whatever made me agitated is just a memory. In a…
Downsized Doggie Dream
When I was a kid, I wanted to have a big dog that would protect me. A German Shepard or a Rottweiler seemed like a great choice. As I got older, I still wanted a big dog – not for protection but for companionship and play. I wanted a Golden Retriever or a Lab. For…
We’ve Always Been Divided
Since Obama became President, I’ve been hearing that the country is more divided than ever before. This sentiment seemed to grow even more during Trump’s campaign against Hillary and his presidency. There have been endless news reports about this divide between the Right & Left, the Cultural Elites & the Working Class, Urban & Rural,…
The True Cost Of Toys
As if you haven’t noticed, I take frugality to an extreme. When I think of buying something that’s a “nice to have”, I think of an entire series of costs associated with it: Purchase price. Maintenance, storage, insurance, security and usage costs. Interest payments (if God forbid, I am financing the purchase). The investment amount…