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I am a storyteller. I’ve told all sorts of stories about all sorts of things in all sorts of places. Personally, I think they started these “story slams” to stop me from annoying people with anecdotes while waiting in line at the Giant. But one of the toughest things about telling stories at a story slam is remembering what I am allowed to tell. I have worked in the video business doing commercials and documentaries and news for over 30 years. I have seen and heard some pretty amazing things. But some of my best stories are covered by what they call NDAs, or non-disclosure agreements. Now, all of these agreements have penalties. Some penalties are small. Like, I have to give back the money they paid me. Some penalties are pretty steep. Like, prison. Other penalties are ridiculous. For example, if I were to say anything bad about Justin Bieber, his friends, his family or anyone in a “relationship” with Mr. Bieber, I would owe Justin Bieber 5 million dollars. When I tell people that, they always have lots of questions. But I assure you, that is all I have to say about that.
I have always had a strange relationship with money in that I have never really had much. When I’ve had it, I’ve spent it. And when I haven’t, I’ve spent it. I have never really cared much about money. This became ironic when I briefly took a job as the operations director of a private wealth management company that handled over a quarter of a billion dollars. So I found myself caring very, very much about money—other people’s money—Monday through Friday, nine-to-five.
One of the things I learned working around stocks and bonds and funds is that there is a secret to making a lot of money. Now that I am no longer working in the field, I am able to share that secret with you. Are you ready? Write this down: The secret to making a lot of money is to first have a lot of money. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Good luck.
My ambivalence about money was fully tested a few years back. In 2008 I was diagnosed with leukemia, and I spent most of 2009 trying not to die. I couldn’t work. My wife has a good job, but losing half our income was hard. I remember sitting in the hospital and trying to calculate my break-even point. That’s the point at which I would be more of a drain on my family than I am worth. Half-alive, my family would be stuck in a downward spiral into poverty. With my life insurance, they could have pretty good lives. That’s a pretty frightening cost-benefit ratio to calculate.
But then a wonderful thing happened: People.
People I worked with. People I worked for. People who knew my kids. People who didn’t know me but really liked my wife. People I knew in college or high school. Neighbors. Strangers. People came out of the woodwork. They put on a benefit and raised enough money to keep us going until I could work again. People who I had argued with and fought with. People who I believed hated my guts donated a day’s pay to me and my family.
Now, I come from very self-reliant, independent stock. So the idea of becoming a charity was very hard for me to take. But my God, the generosity and kindness of human beings is an amazing thing.
That’s when I realized we all stand on the shoulders of the people who came before us. We are all here because of someone else’s generosity or sacrifice. None of us make it alone. We are all here because somebody took a bullet for us on a battlefield or broke their back in a factory or a farm or a coalmine. Or maybe it was some teacher or coach who took extra time to make sure you got it right. Maybe it was someone who saw something in you and just took a chance. Or maybe it was someone who put all their hopes and dreams into a boat ticket or a plane ticket or walked through desert or jungle to come to this country to make a better life.
And maybe it’s not the money at all. Maybe it’s what the money represents: Hope.
See more stories like this live in person at Lancaster Story Slam the fourth Tuesday of each month at Zoetropolis. In York, Story Slam takes place third Tuesdays at Holy Hound Taproom. Visit lancasterstoryslam.com or yorkstoryslam.com for more info.
