Living or Surviving?

with all this talk of economy, gas, food shortages, etc...have to ask myself am i living or just surviving?

could I live with less and still be happy?

am I spending most of my time taking care of my possessions and things?

are my possessions there for me or am I SERVING my possessions.

I start to wonder when I spend most of my waking moments taking care of THINGS....

I remember there was a Cathy (remember her?) cartoon that said: "the 80's woman" and it had all these inanimate THINGS in the background screaming commands at her as if they were ALIVE. "Water me, feed me, clean me, file me, cook me, paint me, help me, fix me, wash me...."

That is exactly how I feel....

I am beginning to weigh quality vs. quantity....

Just one statement...

"I feel the capacity to care...that is the thing which gives life its deepest significance." Pablo Casals

We don't realize that things we might say in passing have a tremendous significance in someone's life.

In junior high, I was not a good athlete--one of things I could NOT do was climb the rope up to the ceiling of the gym--most students could--I was very embarassed. After I was humiliated by my failure several times, my PE teacher motioned for me to quit trying but she said--"I bet you are a baseball queen though! What a wise teacher....

In school, I remember precious few compliments or any real connections with teachers, especially in high school. Most did not want to make any real connection with students--the" garage door" was closed to that...

After making what I perceived to be a very low score on the SAT, my homeroom teacher said I should not waste my time in college--another teacher, seeing I was upset...surprisingly laughed at the story--"what a stupid woman....she didn't bother to see you made a PERFECT SCORE on the verbal section....what a fool....it was the score in Math that made your score appear to be low...you must be very gifted in writing and speaking..." and so I became gifted in writing and speaking...

The power of words...no one is more affected by the power of words than children and especially teenagers....we should be careful of what we say and how we say it...

The Beginning of the Effect of Retiring Boomers

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Retiring Baby Boomers are going to change business, the economy, and entire career cultures.

Here is more proof: CareerBuilder.com is now starting an off-shoot called Personified. This start-up is in response to the following statistic: 41% of employers say they have positions for which they cannot find qualified talent. 27% say that they have retained workers which they don't really want because of the employee shortages in key levels.

Putting Power Back in Our Own Hands

When I was a "baby counselor", I was not too interested in Glasser's theory, but I grown to appreciate it more and more every day.

When trying to solve a problem, simply ask three questions:

1. What do I want?

2. What action am I am taking to get what I want?

3. Is what I am doing working?

It is easy and it is simple to understand--no going back and rehashing the past, no getting in touch with feeling (or not very much)

We can only control ourselves by knowing what we want and DOING actions that get us to that thing that we want.

Those three questions should be addressed everyday, just as we make our "to do" list.

Class War--anyone???

The news is rather ominous of late.

Unemployment is up...up....up...credit is tight, the dollar is down. Gas is predicted to rise to $4 a gallon soon.

Even Walmart sales are down, down, down...but ironically sales at Tiffany's, Harry Winston are soaring. What can we take from these observations. That old bug-a-boo about which no one wants to dialogue: income inequality, increasing income disparity....

There is no doubt about it, the middle class is shrinking and those at the top of the income pyramid are increasingly distancing themselves...the USA, who used to herald that all are created equal, is quickly re-creating itself into a country of rigid social hierarchy that resembles India--we are being morphed into the American version of untouchables and Brahmins.

Statistics show that Corporate CEO's in 1999 made 410 times what their employees made. Then add this: 92% of political contributions are made by 1% of the richest Americans. The worker bees are starting to buzzz....

The wise Greek philosopher, Plutarch once remarked, "An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal element of all republics."

If anyone remembers the Russian czars, Nero or Marie Antoinette--it can happen again. Wars based on religious dissonance are not that far removed from wars sparked by the frustration of the have-nots--especially when the "haves" flaunt their wealth so ostentatiously.

I believe that 2007 will be the tipping point, so I am getting my affairs in order.