Good Ole Uncle Vic January 2012

January 6, 2012 By: Victor Brick

Hello, everyone. Happy New Year! It is almost too late to say that now. Amazing how time flies.

The answer to last month’s trivia question, how much does the average American spend on Christmas? According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American spends $935 on Christmas each year and carries an average credit card debt of $8562.

This month’s trivia question, who is January named after?

January 3 was my birthday. Believe it or not, I am 59 years old. Almost 60! Who’d a thunk it!

I used to hate having a birthday so close to Christmas. Everyone always forgot it. And if they didn’t forget it, they were so broke from Christmas that I never got anything I wanted. But now I love it. If I don’t get what I want for Christmas, I just make sure someone gets it for me for my birthday! (For a definition of “someone”, see “Lynne Brick”)

Actually, the reason I love having my birthday in early January is because everyone remembers it now. And the main reason they remember it is because of Facebook. I got over 100 ‘Happy Birthday’ wishes on my Facebook page on my birthday. 100! And, despite how much most people stuff like that doesn’t really matter, it does. It really felt good that so many people thought of me and wished me well, even though I didn’t really know many of them.

That is one of the allures of Facebook. It connects people and helps them reach out to one another. And you know what? That is really important. Because, at the end of the day, most people really want to be acknowledged and recognized. They post random thoughts and launch them out into cyberspace hoping someone will read them and respond, acknowledging that they are there.

We can all learn from Facebook how important it is to reach out to people that mean something to us, and to stay in touch with them. Often it is not enough to assume they know we are thinking of them. We really need to tell them. And it certainly doesn’t have to only be through Facebook. As a matter of fact, a phone call, note or letter is often much more meaningful. Even a text or e-mail will do the trick. Of course, a visit is best of all.

Take the time to stay in touch with the people that mean something to you. It will mean a lot to them. It meant a lot to me.

Thought For The Day:  Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man.—Leon Trotsky