A little excerpt from one of my favorite children’s books made me think quite a bit about our debt payoff journey the other day. Author Arnold Lobel wrote a terrific series of children’s books called “Frog and Toad”. Frog and Toad are best friends who go on all sorts of interesting adventures together. Here is a little edited snippet from one of my favorite Frog and Toad stories, called “Dragons and Giants”:
“I wonder if we are brave,” said Frog. Frog and Toad looked into a mirror.
“We look brave,” said Frog.
“Yes, but are we?” asked Toad.
Frog and Toad went outside. They came to a dark cave. A big snake came out of the cave.Â
“Hello, lunch,” said the snake when he saw Frog and Toad. He opened his wide mouth. Frog and Toad jumped away.Â
Toad was shaking. “I am not afraid!” he cried.
They climbed a mountain and heard a loud noise. Many large stones were rolling down. “It’s an avalanche!” cried Toad. Frog and Toad jumped away. Frog was trembling.
I am not afraid!” Frog shouted.Â
They came to the top of the mountain. The shadow of a hawk fell over them. Frog and Toad jumped under a rock and the hawk flew away.
“We are not afraid!” screamed Frog and Toad at the same time. Then they ran down the mountain very fast. They ran all the way to Toad’s house.
“Frog, I am glad to have a brave friend like you,” said Toad. He jumped into the bed and pulled the covers over his head.
“And I am happy to know a brave person like you, Toad,” said Frog. He jumped into the closet and shut the door.Â
Toad stayed in the bed, and Frog stayed in the closet. They stayed there for a long time, just feeling very brave together.
Rick and I feel like this often on our debt payoff journey. It seems like for every dollar we pay off, another expense comes, working to destroy our efforts, and often we just want to hide under the covers until it all goes away. You might feel that way too, and that’s okay. What’s important is that you keep facing those debt dragons and giants, and keep working to destroy them until they’re gone for good. Don’t give up, even if you have to spend a few days hiding under the covers, pretending to be brave. 🙂
Thanks for the encouraging post, Laurie! It’s important to remember that its a marathon, and not a sprint, when it comes to paying down debt.
It sure is, DC. 🙂
It is always two steps forward, one step back. You guys are doing great. Keep it up! =)
Thanks, Holly! 🙂
What a cute story! Thanks for sharing! You’re doing great. Keep facing those dragons!
Thanks, Kate! Have a great day. 🙂
Made me smile : )I love the message:Stick together and keep on going. That’s the best we can do.
So true, Liz. That book series is full of giggles. 🙂
Thanks Laurie for a fun, humorous and insightful post!
When the odds seem to be overpowering, getting under the covers seems to be the best option. This way, no one can see you as you plan your next move! Coming out of the closet though…well..that’s a whole other blog 🙂
Take care and stay comfy. My best to all.
Lyle
LOL, thanks for the morning giggle, Lyle. 🙂 Have a super awesome day. 🙂
Very inspirational post and I really liked the link to the story of Frog and Toad. I had totally forgotten about those books. I think I read a few of them as a child. 🙂
Yeah, good stuff, isn’t it? Glad you liked it. 🙂
I love the Frog and Toad stories…I’ve been reading them to my son. Haven’t read this one yet though. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself. You guys are doing great and working as a team…I have no doubt you guys will slay the debt dragon.
Thanks, Andrew. Yeah, our kids love those books. Good humor there. 🙂
It is so important to have that friend alongside you to make you feel brave. My hubby and I say that we are “bunker buddies” where we are in the trenches together while a war around us sometimes tries to keep us down. The most important thing for us is that we have each other’s back in the bunker and we make each other laugh. The rest we will deal with as it comes.
That’s the way to do it, Shannon! You guys definitely have the right attitude. 🙂
Debt dragon! I know it isn’t supposed to be cute, but it kind of is. I have bills dragons — especially with rent! Hurts to cut that check every month.
Ugh, yeah, those would be yucky too. Without our debt dragons, though, our bills dragons would be easy peasy. 🙂
So cute, I loved it. 😉 Just a simple story that teaches a great lesson.
Exactly, Raquel! That’s what I was aiming for. 🙂
What a cool story. I’m torn about whether the characters really are brave or not. It seems prudent that they run in those situations. And maybe the act of telling themselves they are not afraid tempers their fear, even if the wise thing is to hide.
A lot to think about there, Laurie.
This is what I love about those characters. They’re traveling down the road to wisdom, even if it takes a few bits of denial to get there. 🙂 And you’re right, DB40, sometimes it is wise to hide for a bit. 🙂
That debt dragon doesn’t look too scary! 😛 Keep up the great work paying down your debt and motivating many like me Laurie!
LOL, I didn’t want to give anyone nightmares. 🙂 Thanks for the encouraging words, GMD – virtual hugs to you!
This is super cute! And very true! Sometimes the hardest part is just accepting that you have to come out from under the covers to finally get on with life. If only the debt journey had only ups…
SO true, Amanda!! The “up” will be when we can all shout debt free one day, and won’t that be awesome! 🙂
Those pesky debt dragons. 🙂 It’s true though somedays we all want to retreat back to our beds and hide under the covers, especially when it comes to dealing with debt. Some days it seems like for every step forward, you take two steps back. And those are hard, hard days. On the flip side, there are days you take 10 steps forward and no steps back. Those are the days you need to remember and focus on. There will also be hiccups on the road to financial freedom and I know you and Rick (and those lovely children of yours) are brave enough to face and conquer all of them.
Thank you so much, Shannon. You really have a gift for encouraging others, my friend. Debt free day will be a huge celebration here, that’s for sure. 🙂
Ah, I vividly remember this story! What a great connection from my childhood to the current struggle of debt in my adulthood.
Glad to hear that, Lisa!! Isn’t it a great story? I was hoping for exactly that kind of impact. 🙂
Great message Laurie! Facing the giants of our life can be a daunting task. Keep pressing forward one step at a time, knowing that God will give you the strength to make it through.
Amen to that, my friend! 🙂
This is so cute! Keep fighting, Laurie, and stay brave! You’re doing an excellent job!
Thanks, Eva. 🙂
Paying off debt is never easy. We’ve found that there are multiple problems to be faced at the same time. Not only do you have to dig your way out of this debt but you also have to figure out how to prevent it from growing even more.
So true, Thomas!!! It’s a fine balance, that’s for sure. 🙂
This really makes my day Laurie! From the first line until the last line I was totally smiling while reading this post of yours. I do have a doubt also in dealing with other things, but I need to think positive and go on with my plans!
Funny how a frog and a toad can be so inspirational, isn’t it? 🙂
Such an encouraging post, Laurie!! I love it 🙂
Thanks, Mackenzie, glad you liked it. 🙂
Aw. I love the dragon picture! And Frog and Toad sound a lot like me and most of my friends 😉 But at least we all keep going!
Funny! Yeah, I think most all of us have a bit of Frog and Toad in us. 🙂
Thanks for the good encouragement. We should always have a courage to dealing with our debt.
Agreed, MWD. Have a great day. 🙂
What a great real-life interpretation of that story. Would I be too forward to suggest that you either both get into bed or both get into the closet (if cross-dressing is your thing)? 😉
LOL, funny!! Have a great day, Deb. 🙂
Cute story…I know what you mean though. I feel like sometimes I just get ahead, then something like having to buy a new car unexpectedly and paying 8k for taxes just sets me back big time. But life goes on so you just gotta keep truckin’
Yeah, I’m sure the tax bill was just a yucky piece of news, Tonya. I know you’ll breeze through it with your usual awesomeness, though. 🙂
Always good to have company and support in those moments too.
So true. 🙂
It’s definitely a marathon! It’s a lot like when I go to repair something on our house, I find something else that needs fixing. You just have to stay the course. Great motivation 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was a cute story for being in the midst of a busy journey. 🙂
Nice story. I don’t read any kids book, so I had never seen that story.
Confidence and Attitude is 90% of what you need to succeed in life. Keep up the debt payoff!
“Confidence and attitude is 90% of what you need to succeed in life.” LOVE that!! Thanks, NNL, and have a great day!
I sort of felt like this when we were working to save up money for various things, but specifically our down payment and closing costs on the house. I felt like every time I would put money away, I would have to pause my savings for awhile while I paid for something that would come up (car repair, vet bill, etc). It did make me realize that we should hold off on buying a home until we had raises at work, so we could not feel like we were always “catching up”.
I am sure this is a frustrating feeling when it comes to debt payoff. I think if you keep plugging away, it’s surprising how fast the end comes to view.
Interesting, Daisy! Yeah, it’s a bit frustrating, but I know the end will come soon if we just keep hangin’ on. 🙂
Oh I know exactly how you feel. When I was in debt it was never ending. Making a debt payment takes a lot out of your spending budget but it doesn’t make that much of a difference to your debt. Very frustrating. My advice is to stick with it because you will be a lot happier when you are debt free. Good luck on your journey.
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Tahnya!! We are determined to stick with it and get to debt free. 🙂
We’ve been paying one out-of-the-ordinary expense after another lately, so I get this hiding under the covers thing : )
Just this morning, I said to my husband that I thought we might be able to pay about $1,000 off of our debt this month. He said that he had just found out how much a repair for our two water-damaged ceilings would cost: $1,000. Back to the covers we go. But we’ll take your advice and keep facing the debt dragons. Always good to know we’re not the only ones facing them.
Oh no!!! Hang in there, girlfriend. You guys can do this. We have been having our fair share of “extras” too, so I totally get it. Hanging on here for a “normal” expenditure month. 🙂