Bruk Like Church Mouse

"Bruk" is a Jamaican word for being broke that somehow conjures a worse state of having no money than the otherwise clinical "broke."

The saying, inherently Jamaican, is a term that we could use to describe personal finances in the wake of rising prices and stagnant salaries. But it is a little ironic.

Church mice should be poor because the church has no money. And for a country that has more churches per square mile than any other world wide- we should know about churches! But herein lies the irony- Church mek money!

There are exceptions mind you- like those small flailing churches that struggle to pay their electricity bill, but many churches make a lot of money. So church not necessarily de facto poor after all.

Who says that Jamaican folklore doesn't hold classic elements of literary genius?

Anyway, I straying. Fact is I bruk like the poorest of church mouse.

But is a good bruk.

Yes- not all bruk is created equal.

Bad bruk is when yuh owe people money way pass yuh ability to pay or when yuh pay cheque done fully spend fi di next 5 years wid not even room for a streetside cheap china slippers purchase.

Good bruk is when yuh pay off everybody yuh did done owe in less dan the 5 years and yuh still no have not even dollar towards the purchase of a street side cheap china slippers.

So what is the difference?

The difference is dat wid good bruk, yuh CAN afford the cheap china slippers in very short order.

And so, having demised a genius plan to be DEBT FREE and UP TO DATE ON (Insurance and Pension) INVESTMENTS, I bruk.

But it means that if anything happen to me, my estate is fully protected and my pension is secure.

Due to the Jamaica trip in December, I will have to carry over a relatively small balance until end of February, but coming from where I am coming from, that is still home free for me.

Honestly, this is the best gift to myself after a REALLY rough year. Entering the New Year without this financial baggage makes up for all the distress that I have faced.

It means that I will have to suffice with holiday events that are free (or near there) that allow me to dress up and go out without breaking the already bruk bank.

New Goals

1. Pay off Student Loans by year end
2. Pay up insurance and pension premiums by year end.
3. Pay off debt on expired credit cards

I know my time on this Island Behind God's back is short. No need to fool myself. If work is all I have here and I am not given the resources to do my job and am being criticisd for lack of output, then I have an untenable situation on my hands.

In the meantime, I will triple efforts to try to redeem myself professionally, but my exit strategy has got to kick in full gear. The time is short. August next year was ambitious.

Money is not everything.

I just need some to get out of this financial rut and then, whoila, I will be free to define my own happiness.

I have prayed about it and will continue to do so. I have put the whole situation squarely at the foot of the cross.

If God's eye is on the sparrow, I can rest ASSURED that He will provide all my needs according to His riches in glory.

That's the thing about money and faith. You dont have to have money to have faith but having faith means that money somehow finds its way into your hand when you need it most.

But you know what? I am at peace.

That is the first time in a long time that I have felt this way.

Maybe there really is something about taking the yoke of Christ- it is sure easier and lighter.

I know ultimately that whatever forces are at hand, no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

God put me here and His purspose for me here will be achieved before I leave because his word does not return to him without fruit.

So, in the midst of all this work drama, I am standing on His promises.

Even when I have been banished on an Island so far removed that I refer to it as "The Island Behind God's Back," His presence is never far from me.

What more could a Twenty Something girl ask for?

Not even shoes.