Thursday, September 2, 2010

Change I Can Believe In


Today I am happily shedding a little "lyte" on change. After a long, hot, difficult summer, my husband has been offered employment. In a town with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, and the average job search nationwide taking 6 months, that is no mean feat. The job is not in his field of expertise, it is not at a pay rate that we wanted, it is a commission based position, but it is J O B!!

We are still in financial straits, but I am confident that that will work itself out, courtesy of some help from a lawyer. But the important thing is that we now see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not an oncoming train.

This process has wrought a lot of changes in my life and my family's. It has changed my view of all things material. It has changed my relationship with money. It has changed my definition of success. And while the events that prompted these changes was painful and stressful, I can honestly say that these changes are all for the better.

I have a whole new appreciation for all the things that money cannot buy: family, friends, and peace of mind. I have a whole perspective on our capitalist society and it is apparent that all of us; rich or poor, red or blue, need to rethink our values and priorities as a nation.
A country that does little or nothing to help out the least of its citizens cannot claim to be the greatest nation on earth. A country that pumps billions of dollars into a failed and flawed financial system, while allowing millions to lose their jobs, their homes, and their savings cannot advertise itself as the "American Dream".

I keep waiting for the gun-toting, flag-waving, bible-thumping masses that blindly follow Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Rush Limbaugh to wake up to the fact that everything they are so angry about cannot be laid at the feet of President Obama, he did not create this economic disaster, he inherited it. When will the Tea Party, with all its claims of being a grass roots, Main Street movement, descend on Wall Street and hold those who authored this tragedy and profited so handsomely from it, accountable?

We need to rediscover the grit and determination that built this country. We need to start nation building again, and start with our nation. But for now, I am going to concentrate on rebuilding my little corner of the universe. But remember, I am just getting started....