Who doesn’t love a good sandwich?! The bread, the cheese, the meat (or protein of choice), the sauce, the toppings…GOODNESS! Hungry yet? I know you have the perfect sandwich pictured in your mind and you’re wishing a deli master was at your beck-and-call to make this dream a reality! A sandwich is a wonderful piece of life and, for most people, it’s all about what’s in the center.
“All of humankind has one thing in common: THE SANDWICH. I believe that all anyone really wants in this LIFE is to sit in PEACE and eat a sandwich.” – Liz Lemon
The center is the heart of the sandwich.
The sweet, the salty, the spicy…it’s all in the center. But, to have the center on its own really doesn’t work (unless you turn it into a salad, but salads aren’t as good as sandwiches, so…continuing). So, what do you need to complete the sandwich? BREAD!
Bread is great! It’s nutritious, delicious, and it makes the sandwich complete! However, life has a funny way of contorting our beautiful sandwich. The pressures of life smash the bread towards the center. The center squishes! The sauce is oozing. The meat slides right out the back. The lettuce falls to the plate in pieces (which according to my husband means it is no longer edible because, you know, the plate touched it). Once a beautiful arrangement, our sandwich now looks twisted, tired, and exhausted. This scenario is EXACTLY why we have the term “Sandwich Generation.” If you’re feeling the pressures of trying to support aging parents AND getting your kids ready for adulthood, you are the center of your family’s sandwich.
As people are living longer and many young adults are struggling to gain financial independence, about a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) are now part of the so-called “sandwich generation.” – Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2021.
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trust/archive/fall-2022/more-than-half-of-americans-in-their-40s-are-sandwiched
If you’re feeling like the center of the sandwich, there is hope!
We could go on and on talking about all the insane pressures individuals and families are facing today, but what I want you to recognize and remember is: your family loves you and you have access to support! So what can you do to restore yourself and create a new sandwich for your family? Here are 5 ways to start, according to an article from Protective.com:
- Schedule a financial checkup and assess everything form debt to savings.
- Do you have an emergency fund set-up?
- Create guiding principles that help foster open and honest communication with all generations involved.
- Hold family meetings and lay out all the cards concerning expectations and reality.
- Remember that if your children are legally adults, and they are choosing to stay at home longer, they have just as much responsibility as you do in helping out with the family. They don’t get a free ride.
- Save for your OWN retirement and start today!
- Don’t neglect this! You are responsible for your future.
- Do you need help adapting your budget, savings, or portfolio to your situation?
- Re-evaluate your budget every month until you can find a system that works for you.
- Don’t forget about YOU!
- Set healthy boundaries for YOU and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- YOU are the center of the sandwich! You are sweet, salty, spicy, and very much the heart of your family!
Take a moment to yourself. Pop in your favorite work-out song (let’s face it…family can be a daily work-out!), say a prayer for strength, guidance, patience, and self-control, and get ready to make an awesome sandwich! My hat is off to you, “Sandwich Generation”!! A thousand CHEERS because you have the ability to be the last “Sandwich Generation” and that deserves one mighty CHEER!
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