Taking Stock, with Gratitude

I am sitting here doing what many bloggers do, especially on this particular day. I am taking stock. Like DJs, makers of “best of” lists, political pundits, commentators, and lots of other “reviewers,” I feel compelled to comment on this year that becomes history at midnight. But before I share any of my own story, let me ask you--How did you do in 2010? Did you get a promotion? A raise? How about a bonus? Did you even have a job? Could you pay your bills? Put food on the table? Did you lose your home? If you did get a promotion, a raise, a bonus, if you could pay your bills and put food on the table, I am truly happy for you. There are many that didn’t fare so well. And, as you’ve probably guessed, I am one of them.

But I will not sit here and write a tale of woe. What I will do is tell you of what I’ve learned, and how very, very much I am grateful for.

First, I’ve learned that no matter how high the stakes, I must be true to myself. If I try to do work that compromises honesty, fairness, kindness, compassion--well, I just can’t. I cannot work for corporate cut-throats, megalomaniacs, liars, those willing to tread upon others to get ahead. That’s not how I want to live. That’s not the energy I want to help bring into the world.

So I continue to search for work that I can do, and for employers with whom I feel simpatico. And as I search I read, and listen, and begin to get a sense of the magnitude of suffering out there. Suffering based on inequity. So many have so little. So few have so much. It angers me. And even more, it amazes me. Because one of the things I’ve learned very well this year is that you don’t need much to live. You don’t even need all that much to live well, relatively speaking. But what you do need to live well, you absolutely must have: safe, comfortable shelter that you can afford to pay for (and keep up); healthy, tasty, high-quality food; clothing; the ability to be clean and to live in a clean environment; work that enables the fulfillment of these needs. That’s really all. You don’t even need a car, although in many parts of the country, a car is by far the easiest way to get around (as public transportation is still woefully inadequate).

But many people cannot say that they have even these few basics musts of life. Many have to compromise on safe shelter, or food quality, or clothing, or cleanliness. And still others have no shelter at all to call their own, and don’t know where their next meal will come from. And this bitter lack of the basics occurs in the wealthiest country in the world, where the combined wealth of the Forbes 400 is $1.37 trillion. That’s trillion, with a “t”. There is something very wrong here, don’t you agree? Contemplate this, it’s an honestly-written eye-opener.

So. Along with learning that I can’t compromise my values for gain and that a good life doesn’t require much, I’ve learned that a huge discrepancy between the very wealthy and those in need is a bad thing. That sounds like it should be a duh, doesn’t it? And yet, most Americans would say that redistribution of wealth is an abomination. I mean, that would be socialism, right? The opposite of our beloved capitalism? Well, what I say is this: any “ism,” taken to an extreme (and in America, capitalism is extreme) is a bad thing. Any devotee of European history willing to look can see faint echoes of the years leading to the French Revolution in American society now. Oh, to be sure, it hasn’t gotten even close to that bad here, but how will events progress? Will we accept that unbridled capitalism could possibly bring about actual class warfare? Probably not. Because many believe the American dream is still a possibility. And that the middle class is still healthy. Well, I’m sorry to be a debbie downer here, but I don’t think the middle class is healthy. I think it’s gradually disappearing, one person, one family slipping below the poverty level at a time.

Totally depressing thoughts, you say? Yes. But here’s where the gratitude comes in. Because I believe--no, I know--that despite the inequities that exist, despite the hard times so many have endured this year (and may continue to deal with in the new year), that we can make things better. Our thoughts create our lives. Let me repeat that: our thoughts create our lives. If we focus on what’s wrong, what we lack, we will get more of that--more of less. But if we focus on what we do have: life, the ability to love, to feel joy, to work, to help others, those qualities, those Blessings will multiply in our lives. Count your Blessings--all Blessings, great and small--and you will find you have more than you can count. Take heart, people. Keep positive. Believe in your dreams. And take stock, every day, of all the good in your lives. Your thoughts really do create your reality.

And so I say to you all, Happy New Year!!



My heartfelt thanks to my sons and their s.o.s, my in-laws, and my dear, dear friends for their love and support. May each of you be wonderfully Blessed! And always, my profound gratitude to Mother and Father for their Blessings, their Lessons, their guidance, and their presence in my life. I am indeed your child!