Back to Basics

Every day I hear more sad news about people losing a job, or their home, or they can't keep their pets, or they have a health crisis and lack insurance since they lost their jobs. It really makes me feel blessed that things are ok in my world at this point in time, but it also leaves me with plenty of questions.

In no other time that I myself have lived through has there been so much glut, so much consumption, and so much entitlement. There is conspicuous consumption all around me, and even I am guilty of that. I have 3 televisions in my house! When I was growing up, we had one. Where I live, when children reach the age when they can drive, their parents by them a new car! When I was growing up, I had to use my mother's car, and didn't have my own car until I graduated college. That car was my grandmother's 1973 Dodge Dart that drove like a tank and looked like one too. If I am hungry and want a quick meal, I have many choices of drive-in restaurants, and don't even have to cook at home.

With consumerism and technology exploding around us, life was going to be easier and more convenient, kind of like the Jetsons! However, I believe life has become more complex. We have far more choices than we need. We have far more things available to us that we are told will make our lives better (video game systems, entertainment systems, cars that do nearly everything, appliances that we can't live without, etc). We spend more time connected to a cell phone, blackberry, or computer than to the person standing right in front of us. Some technology is good and helpful and even life-saving, unless it has lots of side effects (like all those drugs advertised on television, and in magazines). But, because something is available doesn't mean we need to jump on the bandwagon and take advantage of it.

Perhaps this shake-up in our global economy will help us get back to basics. We don't need five Wal-marts in one town. We don't need a Starbucks on every corner. We don't need alot of stores all selling the same things. True, this has kept many people employed, but only while we were spending our hard-earned dollars. I believe it's time to cut back, regroup, and reassess what we really need to be happy.

We don't need "things" but we do need each other. What are some ways that you can think of that will help you reconnect with your children, your families, your neighbors? In these dismal times, fear often takes hold, and we need to be working with and supporting each other. Instead of grabbing a bite at the local fast food joint, make dinner at home, invite the neighbors for a potluck, nothing fancy, but make it a time to get together with your loved ones. You'll save some money, and increase the good will.

Turn off the tv, take a walk, borrow books from your friends, go to a park, make your greeting cards instead of buying them, be creative in ways to help you feel more in control and less fearful. I'm not saying we should all hunker down and hibernate, but be more cognizant and aware of our actions. Save resources, not because it's become the latest craze, but because it's a way to be less heavy-handed. Turn off lights and other appliances when they are not in use, use less than you really have to when it comes to water and other resources, and treat the place where you live in a respectful way. Become more aware of your impact and leave the world a better place than how you found it, if for no other reason than you are blessed to be alive here in this place at this moment in time.

When I start fearing that too much of my life is out of my control, I don't watch the news or read the newspaper as it adds to my stress level. I keep healthy by watching what I eat, exercising, and spending time doing the things I love. If you are about to lose your job, or think that it might be in jeopardy, start thinking out of the box and reassess your interests, talents and skills and figure out other ways to use them. Cut back on the things that you really don't need, and be honest with yourself. We have so much in our lives that it's too easy to get caught up in needs vs. wants.