A Day of Positive Vibes
September 30, 2008
This past Sunday, there was a rally in Detroit for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I was lucky to get 4 tickets at the 11th hour and turned the outing into a family event with my sister, my cousin who was in town and, of course, my 4 year old niece, the “Peanut”.
It was a beautiful fall day as we stood in the crowd for more than 2 hours waiting for the candidates to appear with their wives. But who cares! The people around us were amazing, the energy was so positive in these chaotic times and when they arrived — Barack and Joe’s remarks had us mesmerized! But enough said. You can see for yourself:
Me with my sister and the Peanut.
7 month old Shelby dazzling in pink and her baby bumper sticker.
Faces of optimism and hope.
Joe Biden, front and center.
Barack on moving out of the darkness.
And in the end, whether you plan to vote for Barack and Joe or not — it was a day of positive vibes.
We all needed that.
Do You Feel Like Piggy Banking
September 29, 2008
I don’t know about you but I can’t even watch the news these days without feeling anxiety over how the economy isn’t doing. Last Thursday, I started watching the 1/2 hour of news I now allow myself each morning — it’s all I can stand. The expert being interviewed on the economy stressed me out so that I had to cut my news allotment in half that day.
Now lest you think I live in a cave, I’m on the computer all day getting those pop-ups on “breaking” and usually bad news from the New York Times. And these days, the bad news seems to be about stocks, money and banks. Do you feel like putting your money in a piggy bank these days?
Since there have been two major bank crises in the last week, you may be wondering how your bank is doing. If you’re curious, check it out at Bank Rate where you get a detailed report on the condition of various financial institutions. And it’s fair to start asking questions about whether your money is safe.
It’s not time for panic but it is time for being as informed as possible.
Ever So Fine Paul Newman Has Died
September 27, 2008
One of my earliest crushes was on the ever so handsome, incredibly fine actor Paul Newman. I remember sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the television gazing into those blue eyes that looked out from many a movie. As I got older, Paul remained one of my favorite actors. Well, now he’s gone — dead today of lung cancer at 83 years old.
Now only was Paul excellent at his craft of acting but he channeled his success into making an impact both on the screen and off. His focus on making the world a better place through giving back to those less fortunate was an inspiration to so many.
I don’t know about you but there’s something particularly sobering about the loss of yet another “senior” legend. It’s that mortality thing. It’s feels a little closer today.
What do you think?
Bad News is Bad for Your Health
September 25, 2008
As part of my normal routine, I turned on the Today Show this morning to get my 30-minute daily fix of what’s happening in the world. Lately I’ve been limiting my exposure to the news because so little good gets reported and the bad is stressing me out.
Today I got about 15 minutes into the latest expert’s commentary on the U.S. economy and it really got to me. I actually started feeling anxious and panicky as I started thinking about my 401(k) — what’s left of it, being super-glued to my house that used to be such a great value and, and, and … I realized that my anxiety over all these things I can’t change was getting beyond stress.
So I got up and turned off the news because I realized that bad news is bad for my health. To counteract the toxicity, I turned on my favorite meditation CD to get me back to where I was before I turned the news on.
Have you felt like pulling the plug on the bad news lately?
Ivan — One of America’s Finest
September 24, 2008
Since July I have been hosting Ivan (pronounced “e-van”), a young Obama campaign organizer in my home. At the time I got the call asking if Ivan could stay with me, I remember thinking “It’s the least I can do”. To me, being a campaign “den mother” beats the hell out of being a hockey mom any day of the week.
What I didn’t know is that I would learn so much from this 25-year old who is the ultimate steward of democracy. You see, Ivan was born in Bulgaria and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was just a young teen. Since then, what he’s learned about our government puts most of us to shame. There’s nothing like getting a lesson on what the stars and stripes really mean than from someone who grew up under the red flag of communism.
Ivan is now a U.S. citizen and he lives that status like his life depends on it. And in a manner of speaking it does. Because Ivan knows what it’s like to have a government that doesn’t always recognize the needs and desires of “we the people”. He knows that we have a chance in this presidential election to refocus our country on what’s important to the many instead of the few.
As he goes off each morning to work 16-20 hour days on the Obama campaign, Ivan’s enthusiasm and hope is never affected by poll results and negative news commentary. Why not? Because he believes in an America changed for the better. So Ivan for all you do, this song’s for you:
-
Karen - Midlife Coach
