NEWS FLASH! EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE!'

News flashes of the day remind me that everything really IS relative.

*I hear Madoff whining because he has the Feds' felony ankle bracelet keeping him "all cooped up" in his multi-billionaire luxury penthouse... But most of us would be able to put our parents, siblings, kids and kids' kids and their families in that space, with room left over...

The Hollywood newsies are tsk-tsk-tsking that Jessica Simpson has gained a few pounds... But one look at her wearing those pounds still impresses your average American male.

*A man who normally makes $200 million-plus yearly is telling his sad story to the news, that his income suddenly and drastically plunged to $10 million a year, and he's lost his beloved private polo-practive field... But your average American family couldn't afford to buy tickets to SEE a polo match...

Now I hear from someone I care about, who philosophically reflects that he has sometimes regretted that he and his family have been renting a house at an age when their friends have all owned their large homes for some time... "Now they're all losing their homes," he says, "and I'm sad for them. But my wife and I can sleep soundly at night because we have NOTHING to lose!"

Yes indeed, it's true: everything surely IS relative.

Cheers to my philosopical and happy someone who owns little and enjoys life a lot.
R.A.T. (Rose About Town)