Student Loans.

The very phrase sends shudders through the body. Parents groan at the thought of the ever rising costs of education. Recent graduates stagger under the weight of the loan payments. All in all, there aren't too many people (other than financial institutions) who like thinking about Student Loans.

I was an exception. My own student loans didn't bother me. When I graduated from McGill University I received the first notice for my loan payments. As I filled out the paperwork I noticed a box indicating the expected date that I would pay off the loan.

I laughed out loud when I saw it.

I laughed because a few years earlier, I met a cardiologist who told me when I was expected to die. I was never going to have to fully pay off my student loans because I was supposed to die nearly four years BEFORE the final loan payment. I continued to pay my monthly installments, month after month, laughing all the while.

Through the years, if I was ever feeling down about my expiry date - I would cheer myself up with the idea that the bank would never get all of their money from me!

Well my friends, last week I made the final payment.

I didn't die when I was supposed to. I am now nearly four years past my expiry date! It's a bittersweet feeling. Of course I'm happy to be here, but somehow I think the bank had something to do with keeping me alive so that they could get their money.

ENJOY NOW!

Copyright (c) 2003-2004, all rights reserved.
National Library of Canada ISSN 1708-0606

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