Am I beter off than I was four years ago?

One thing that politicians and pollsters like to ask people is if a person is better off now than they were four years ago during the last election.

This is, of course, aimed at what impact government has had on the individual. My general thought on politics is that government has little impact on my fortunes. Financially, I don't think the government has had a major impact on my well-being - the housing crash hasn't made me happy, but I'm doing OK job-wise, although that's more because I work for a college than anything else.

But it's also a good time for introspection about myself. Four years is an arbitrary time frame, just like 365 days is, but like New Year's Day it's also an easy time to use as a yardstick.

I started thinking about my experiences voting in the last presidential election 4 years ago, and realized that a lot has changed for me in those four years. Four years ago, I still lived in the city in an apartment, drove a PT Cruiser, had just started my MBA program, didn't have any pets, and worked in a helpdesk position.

Now, I own a townhouse in Baltimore County, drive a pickup truck, have had my MBA for a year, am caretaker for an insane black cat named Nibbler, and work in a desktop support position.

But the most dramatic change for me is that there is about 30% less of me. Four years ago, I had not yet made weight loss a goal in my life. I still weighed close to 250 pounds. I now eat somewhat better, work out regularly, and weigh around a buck sixty five.

There are still things I'd like change in my life, like the fact that I'm single. But four years ago, I didn't think I'd accomplish some of the things I have. It's a reminder that things can change a lot in four years, and it's probably a reason that I should be more optomistic about the possibility of things getting better for me in the future.

Even if I'm not so sure things will change for the better politically.