The new reality

This is no longer a crisis, this is the new reality.

I heard this line the other day and I have been thinking about it ever since. It is exactly true. Despite the fact that the talking heads - economists, journalists, politicians, political and social analysts - continue to talk about the crisis and how to get out of it, returning to the growing, spending economic situation of 3 or 4 years ago, the same situation that got us here, we are evolving into this new reality.
I have also been thinking about the important psychological shift that this implies. If we are in a crisis that the economists, big businesses, investors, bankers, politicians and government are going to resolve and bring us out of, then we are waiting for others to resolve our personal woes. We make others responsible for us finding a job; for us being able to obtain or maintain a home, whether renting or buying one; for us to lack the fear to start or invest in something new. However if we stop using the word crisis and accept that this is the new reality and realize that these are the new times and circumstances that are ours to live, then all of a sudden the responsibility to move forward in life is our own.
I must create my own job and income, by searching my talents, abilities, experience, creativity and passion and by being aware of the needs and wants of others that I can fulfill with these talents. Then I must take the steps to put my conclusions into action to generate income.
I must adjust my expectations of my housing situation to meet the new needs of these changing times – live in a smaller space, perhaps in a different neighborhood or city; rent vs. own my home; divide up my large space into individual smaller spaces to rent out, offer or accept a room in a home that has more than enough space, perhaps in exchange for work rendered – on other words, let go of the social status symbols and material demands that have been put on me – and begin to live more freely in a place that suits new circumstances. These changes offer many benefits including a manageable cost for housing, lower energy demands and costs, more freedom of movement when job or personal desire demands it.
I must accept that I, personally, and we as a developed nation, may not get back to the boom times of the consumerism and material desires of the recent past. I must re-examine my values and place importance on the aspects of myself and life that money cannot buy: love, family, friendship, time dedicated to them, natural beauty, integrity, goodness, generosity of spirit, self discovery and development, enjoyment of the moment. And then it is my responsibility to move forward in my life in this new reality based on these new realizations, self understanding and strength.

If it is difficult to find your talents and passions, your values, or the strength and ability to implement them, then ask for help. There are many able and willing to help, and these new times encompass the shift from selfish accumulation and spending to community collaboration and support from acquaintances and strangers alike.

This is no longer a crisis, this is the new reality. Are you ready to make the psychological shift that it implies? And if you already have, how can you help others make that shift?

I can see clearly now

A Winter Fog

There is a winter fog hovering over me,
it´s weightlessness a farce as it sets heavy on my shoulders.
I wish to throw it off so I can progress with clarity into this new year
but it eludes my grasp and dances about keeping me under its influence.

There is a list of resolutions beckoning me,
its fresh content and possibilities call me from the other side.
I imagine delving into them and awakening anew

But the leaden shroud of mist hangs on and hinders my advance.

Alone I wish to dissolve it, to reach the other side
however, in company I find myself each day and
this is a challenge I must face in solitude and silence
concentrating on dissipating the veil in order to move forward freely.

Soon the house will be quiet, I will be alone
and the rays of sunny solitude
will burn off the fog.

Where am I?

How far am I from me? But I am here always, constantly by my side. Then the question perhaps is, how far is me from where I am? I am not sure: close by, often sitting in my lap, but many other times ME is drifting, disappeared, distant, darkened. I must shine the light again, to illuminate the path that brings ME back to where I am, or that makes it easier that I move closer to the distant ME. The two are longing to be reunited on the same bright path, I know it.