Mind of my Stroked Brain

 I was recently chatting with someone who said "have faith in God he will make things ok definitely".  In that context they were referring to life in general, but I am very intimately familiar with this advice, especially after my stroke - referring to both general and particular things. "Have faith in God, he will make things alright", "have faith in a particular God and  ​you  will become alright", "trust in God and you will speak again", etc, etc. Everyone - family, friends, well-wishers, nurses, even my doctors have said it at many stages. Curious though - approximately > 90% of them have referred to God as a "He". I don't know why and what drives the certainty about the "he"...  Usually, if they are from a generation older, the advice is not unconditional. It will be followed by "say some chant X times everyday" , "say some prayer everyday", " do something everyday", etc . One thing is...

When I started working, the first time I can remember having surplus money was sometime in early 1999. Most of the time earlier I didn't have money or barely lasted till month end. In late 1998, I was sent to another country on work for a few months. Since it was not a long term posting, we were not getting salary there but a daily allowance (referred to as per diem).  It was the first time I received money money in a stronger currency and better purchasing power and realised the potential of saving it.  So, I did not live there mostly. Everything was converted to my home currency and my eyes would bulge. At the same time, if the same amount was saved, it was a big deal of money to bring back to my home country and live with it later. Almost everything was seen through this lens and either not bought, not spent, not experienced. Everything including the food I allowed myself to eat, the condition of places we chose to live, the groceries I bought etc. Basically tightened the b...