Maximize
When I first heard the term "working poor," I thought it was some kind of sick joke. I could not fathom the idea that someone could work forty hours and still live below the poverty line. I did not think that homelessness just meant you didn't have an address. You could still have a job and sleep in your car. You could rent a room for a week and pay for storage. I was blissfully unaware. The wealth gap is expanding. The middle class is simply making ends meet. Some of us are one paycheck away from poverty. Our government is passing laws to ensure that the rich get richer and the poor stay impoverished.
“No person can maximize the American Dream on the minimum wage.”
Deeds
"A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed."- Henrik Ibsen
When was the last time you gave money to someone on the side of the road? Most of us have been conditioned to believe that these people are panhandlers instead of homeless veterans or people with genuine needs. When was the last time you paid it forward? When was the last time you volunteered or helped someone in need? What was your last good deed? It is our civic duty to help those in need. "To whom much is given, much is required."