My wife and I aren't really into people. We find that most people suck. There are various reasons why people suck but most often it is induced by jealousy. At least in our experience it has been. Maybe my wife and I are crazy and anti-social. I know I am to a degree. My wife is a bit more out-going than I am. But let me try and explain where I am going with this.

We both came from humble beginnings. I am your typically latchkey kid. My mom was a single mother up until I was about 10. When I came home from school I didn't have a mom waiting there with a plate of cookies and tall glass of milk. I came home did my homework and took care of my sister who is two years younger. I'm not complaining. I kind of liked the freedom. We were no where close to rich but I think we were above being out right poor. We lived in some shady neighborhoods growing up and we moved a lot. I have no idea if that was because of financial problems or because my mom liked to move. As I got older and my mom remarried our life got better. Two incomes help like that. But as I said, we were neither rich or poor. We didn't have fancy cars or a huge house. We were a normal typical family.

My wife on the other hand grew up poor. She remembers times when food was scarce. Her childhood was far worse than mine and I don't think she would appreciate me documenting it here for you all to read so I will leave it at that. But as she grew up things didn't get better. She walked to work. She struggled to make ends meet and worked several jobs at one time just to barely survive.

Once we got married things weren't much better. I was in the Marine Corps and didn't make much money. I think my first few years I made roughly 18-19 thousand a year. But we survived. My wife can stretch a penny farther than any one I know. As the years passed things got better due to promotions and what not but we still lived paycheck to paycheck. We were never the ones to have the fancy cars or the expensive TV. I worked two jobs for a while and at one point had three. Still living paycheck to paycheck.

After I left the Marine Corps things got considerably better. I was making double what I made as a Marine. Finally we were able to get the things we wanted. I bought a widescreen HDTV. We were able to go out to eat more often. My wife could go grocery shopping without really worrying about how much she spent. It was good to finally get on top of things. I was able to buy my family a beautiful home, something my wife never had as a kid. And here soon things will get even better for us once some work related things go through.

You may be wondering where I am going with this. Well let me tell you. Ever since we moved up a bit friends and family have referred to us as rich. Some of my wife's friends have stopped talking to her. Some make sideways suggestions we lend them money. Some have actually suggested we take care of them. Our friendships with some people have changed. It doesn't make sense to me. Why aren't these people happy for us? We have overcome a lot of bullshit to be where we are and we did it on our own. We are still the same people who worried about bills. We are still the same people who did whatever it took to make things work. We haven't changed so why have our friends?

Simply put, jealousy is a bitch. When our friends moved and bought a house my wife and I were genuinely happy for them and this was before we bought ours. We never once thought of them as our "rich friends". We were happy they were able to buy a house. I think it is a nice house, I wouldn't mind living there. The manager I worked for at Dominos now owns several stores. Am I jealous of him? Nope, I am very happy for him because I know how hard he worked and how much he sacrificed to obtain his goal. He drove a piece of junk truck until it died and then bought a very modest truck to replace it, probably bought it cash. Granted, a lot of the people we know can't afford to buy a house or a new vehicle. Some of the people we know barely survive on a day to day basis and I can somewhat understand their jealousy but goddamn people. How hard is it to be happy for someone, especially someone you know? These people know how hard we worked to get to this point. They know what we sacrificed to save a few extra bucks. They should be happy for us and look to us for inspiration on how to achieve a goal.

I think family looking at us differently hurts the most. They are the ones that should be the happiest. You should want your family members to succeed. I know I do. I always want the best for my family. It is truly amazing how people act. I don't discuss how much money I make anymore. When asked I simply state I make enough to care for my family. I learned that lesson quickly. Some people just can't handle it. Money doesn't make people who they are and it is unfortunate people think it does. Maybe since my wife and I didn't grow up privileged we have a different outlook on things. I don't know. It is frustrating though.