I agree with gratitude being a powerful guiding principal to live by.
I also grew up grinding poverty poor. I had to laugh at the 'toys were gravel rocks' comment because I was in the same situation (wow, this rock looks kind of like a bulldozer if you squint hard enough, etc.). Ate a lot of crackers and tomato soup, vegetables from the garden, etc. In addition to the rocks, we used a lot of sticks as toys, also.
My parents were from the Depression era, so had it even worse. I was told that when you are that poor, you tend to grow up with one of two attitudes:
1) I will save (or hoard) so I will never be poor again.
OR
2) I will spend freely while I have money in order to enjoy life while I can.
I personnally tend to be a 'Saver' but have found I don't need many material things to make me truly happy.
Very thoughtful article, loved reading it. The Trump information also jives with everything I have heard and read. Although I may like some of his policies or statements, I absolutely cannot stand his dealings with craftsmen, contractors and subcontractors. I was a Construction Project Manager and can tell you that there are a Lot of ethical people in the business who mare very professional and who also abhor Trump's 'business practices'. Some even going so far as to quickly paying their subcontractors and tradesmen, knowing how many people actually do live on the edge and quick payments really help.