Tuesday, December 30, 2008

$$$$$$Money, money, money$$$$$

These are indeed challenging times. Professionals who always thought they had the world by the tail, are now the tale of the world. We are losing our livlihoods faster than we can even begin to imagine. Middle class folks are losing their homes. Many of us are a paycheck or a blink away from actually being homeless. Who would have thought?

I understand from my dentist, that more people are using night mouth guards to keep from clenching their teeth during their sleep than ever before. More people are needing anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs than ever before. Tension, fear, frustration are robbing us of the balance of our lives.

Victor Frankel wrote that even in the worst adversity, we must work to keep our spirit alive.

Please remember: WE ARE NOT OUR MONEY. If we lose our money, sure, we will have challenges -- but let us keep our spirit alive and vibrant.

Each day we must count our non-economic blessings: the beauty of the world around us, our family, our friends, hopefully our health.

I believe we are entering a new wilderness. We will see and experience things we never dreamed would happen to our country and yet, it will happen during our lifetime. We will need to make many changes in our lifestyle, our expectations, and maybe even some of our beliefs.

But to survive and prosper, we need to keep our core beliefs strong. We need to remember that inside each of us is that divine spark and we must keep it aflame with vibrancy.

When you find yourself fretting with angst over the economy: just say to yourself, "I am not my money. I am a beautiful, loving, giving human being. I live on a beautiful planet. I am fortunate to have friends who love me......" Keep going, counting your blessings until you feel release of the economic worry. When there is nothing in your power to do re: economics, drop the thought and go on to the things that you can do and can enjoy.

Don't ever let your spirit go our or your divine light dim, or else you will lose what is most precious to you.

We are all in my prayers for an easy time during these fiscal challenges. May our new President lead us with compassion and energy as well and recognize that there are millions of us in American who are financially bleeding.

Go out now and find Awe Moments in nature; or just open your window and take a breath of ruah Yah: the divine essence around you.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I read this post right after reading this on Velveteen Rabbi http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/
They go so well together:

t amazes me to think of God descending with Jacob into Egypt -- into Mitzrayim, the Narrow Place -- and then bringing Jacob out again. It's the story we retell each year at Pesach, of course: how God brought us out of that tight spot with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm...

God is with us even when our circumstances seem bleak. That's a lesson from earlier in the Joseph story. God was with Joseph even in the Egyptian jail where he was wrongfully imprisoned; just so, God can be with us, if we open our eyes and hearts. That's true when we're suffering, and that's true when we feel released from suffering. It's a constant.

It's a little bit remarkable, when I stop to think about it, that God descends with us into uncertainty. God descends with us into the unknown, into the fears that clench our hearts. God descends with us into the tight spots, the narrow places, the birth canals through which we have to pass in order to become who we're becoming. No matter what we're dealing with, this is blessing indeed.

Thank you for all the wisdom on your blog.