Go Jared! Go Jared!

April 8, 2009

So have you heard about the economy? In case you haven't tuned into the news or picked up a paper any time during the last, oh, year, let me fill you in. Basically, the economy is in the toilet and I'm hoping to high heavens that nobody presses the flusher.

And that about sums it up.

When we made the decision to open our own practice--in spite of the times--we anticipated that things would be relatively slow. It would take more patience, more persistence, and more creativity to find success than it would have a few years ago. People wouldn't be as willing to part with their co-pays as they have been in days gone by, and besides that, Jared would be the new guy, still trying to prove to our neck of the woods that he's not just another slick chiropractor who likes to see normal people three times a week for the rest of eternity--you know, just for sh*ts and giggles.

Fortunately, we opened a practice with very low overhead expenses and consequently Jared was pretty much out of the red the day he started cracking backs. Unfortunately we're still not very far into the black. So his practice is self-sufficient, but oh-my-heavenly-day he's still driving a 1989 Chevy Blazer with a somewhat serious oil leak. Honestly, I'm okay with it for now, I've never been much of a car person anyway, but goodness me, I know that car won't go on forever.

So if his practice is out of the red, and he's seeing more and more patients every week, why are we still driving that sexy, twenty-year-old off-roading machine?

Well, it just occured to me last night. Construction workers who lose their health benefits when their hours are dropped to part-time still throw their backs out. The woman with a neck condition so painful that it makes it almost impossible to do her job in the mail room of a college needs help--whether she's getting foreclosed on or not. And that guy who looks just like my husband? The one who works at a bank, has two kids, and drives a pretty nice Subaru? Even he can't afford to pay his bill in full right now.

So it's not that Jared's practice isn't growing. Because peoplewise, it is. I guess the real issue is that people in general are having a harder time paying their bills. And holy moly, I absolutely DEFY you to turn away a young mom who's standing in your office, heaving sobs, because she herniated a disc and can't miss work later that night.

But, the bottom line is this: we've got to do something.

Far be in from me to sound shallow, but I'm in the midst of a moderate-to-severe fashion crisis and a little extra cash would be a sure solution. Oh, and I owe the electric company a check, too--but come now, a woman's gotta have priorities! I mean seriously, what would my boyfriend think about jeans with a saggy crotch? So unbecoming on a woman like me.

Luckily, and I'm crossing my fingers and toes on this one, our answer--our "have your cake and eat it, too" answer--might have come ten days ago. We'll know for sure this afternoon. And when I say it's coming right in the nick of time, I mean it's coming right in the nick of time. We're kind of up to our nostrils in the Red Sea, hanging on to the hope that it will be parted in two, and we can safely walk to the Applebee's on the other side.

So if you're a finger crosser or a positive-thought-giver or a rabbit's foot rubber, do it for us today. If you're the praying type, send one up on Jared's behalf. However you want to do it, just send my husband some positive vibes.

I don't usually say much in regards to my faith on this blog, so you'll have to give me a pass this one time, because I just can't hold this back. I've been praying and praying about our situation for a long time--sometimes on my knees, and sometimes into my wallet in the parking lot of work--and every time I finish a prayer, the same phrase runs through my head: You take care of mine, and I'll take care of yours.

You take care of mine, and I'll take care of yours.

Then I usually squint my eyes, curl my lips, and wag my finger at the sky saying, "I hope you mean that..."

Then I'm usually like, "Oops, sorry God. That was kind of disrespectful."

So that's what we've been doing. I've been trying my hardest to take good care of Jared and James. And Jared's been trying his hardest to take good care or anyone who's in pain whether they have excellent insurance, terrible insurance, or no insurance at all.

And today, maybe today, things will come together for us.

If you see me tonight on I-95, hanging out of the sunroof of a station wagon, topless, then you'll know we struck a deal. On the other hand, if you see my husband hauling wheel-barrows of manure through barren wastelands while I take orders at Arby's, then chances are good that we probably didn't.

I'll let you know.

But in the meantime, I'm assuming the whole afternoon will be smooth sailing for my husband. After all, we looked up "HOW TO NEGOTIATE" on Google last night and there were some really good tips.

Hope you all have a great day!