Which Came First, Welfare or Comfort?

    On the way out to my new place, there are plenty of exits off the interstate that lead to places most folks will never see -- like Welfare and Comfort.

    It's sweet that the towns named Comfort and Welfare are so close together. As I was writing this note, I asked one of my editors, "Which comes first off the highway, Comfort or Welfare?"... well. You can guess his answer.

    A few days before that, I was talking with another editor of mine about welfare and comfort. Not the towns.

    We'd just foraged skillfully through a Super Supermarket about 50 miles away, stowing the precious cargo in iced-down coolers and then replenishing my pantry and fridge. I think she likes how I buy stuff -- the what and why of my grocery choices -- because she mentioned how she'd get perturbed back in the days when she ran a register and folks would buy hamburger meat for their dogs with food stamps.

    Funny. It was just then that I realized it was time to make the rice and chicken for my own canine.

    So I devoted probably another 15 minutes of my poor editor's life to the sob story of How I Finally Applied For & Got Food Stamps, in an effort to clarify that such tales are chockfulla Other Sides o' the Coin & Hidden Facets. You can hardly ever believe just what you see.

    Like, did you know that if you have two cars and apply for food stamps (now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP), they won't give you any benefits until you sell one of those cars?

    You're only allowed one car per household when you're getting SNAP.

    Like, did you know that in big cities, you're watched over by guards with rifles while you stand or sit in line for a full day with the other hungry folks, waiting for your appointment to look someone in the eye so you can go over the 21-page application you had a friend fax to the State office over three months ago?

    You get finger-printed, too.

    And did you know that while you can't use food stamps to buy laundry detergent, bath soap, or any other non-edible but often-deemed-necessary items of daily living -- or pet food -- you damned sure can stock up on candy and soda?

    That's right: your tax dollars at work, folks, can rev up the diabetes rate in no time while turning transportation, cleanliness, and kindness to animals into unreachable luxuries.

    (I already hear rumblings of 'If you can't afford 'em, don't have 'em...')

    Comfort then Welfare. Welfare then Comfort.

    The answer: "It all depends on which direction you're coming from."

    Now it's time for a Mini-Retreat!:

    When faced with the vicissitudes of life,
    one's mind remains unshaken,
    sorrowless, stainless, secure; 
    this is the greatest welfare.

    Sutta Nipāta 2.271
  
    (with gratitude from
    Pariyatti, a non-profit organization supported by purchases and contributions.)

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*Instant is good, no seizing the moment is sad.