Random Thoughts at the end of Thanksgiving Weekend

Good Sunday morning,
Wow, what a week this has been.
In our country, we celebrated what I consider to be our most beautiful, wonderful holiday, Thanksgiving. In India, there were many lives lost, lots of scary moments and their world will never be the same. In Long Island, NY, an employee was trampled to death as frenetic shoppers bombarded a Walmart store for bargains. What's the world coming to?

Personally, I flew to Portland, ME, just a 50 minute flight from JFK, so I could spend Thanksgiving with my sister. I mean, who wants to be alone on turkey day? And, she's a great cook. Even though vegetarian, she makes the best turkey dinner. It was fabulous. The only things missing for me .... I couldn't take any leftovers home with me AND my son was far away and not with me. Other than that, it was a great trip. I even got to shop at LLBean ... what a store.

Now, on the international front ... how do I feel, how does it all impact us, the baby boomers?

Although I like to keep my head in the sand, I occasionally have to look up, turn on the TV, buy the NY Times and be a realist. I see my funds dwindling, I see some of my clients pulling away due to their need to trim budgets. As a self-employed person, I can't deny that it's a bit daunting...even scary. But, if I give it a lot of power, I'll hide under my blankets and not come out. So, yes, we are in an economic decline and that IS impacting most of my boomer counterparts.... big time. And, I am remaining as calm and optimistic as I can. I occasionally rant, have a negative thought and then go to a funny movie or hook up with friends to laugh and enjoy my life.

Boomers, many of whom are not ready to retire, are really between a rock and a hard place. First, many of them are being forced to retire as companies face massive lay-offs. Second, their pensions are dwindling and they would prefer to continue earning for as long as possible. Third, they are sometimes caught in a need to continue supporting adult children who are also losing their jobs, watching their savings dwindle... and all in a holiday season.

Speaking of holidays. How about if we actually put a limit on folks about their idiotic spending? I mean, do your kids/grandkids really need 10 new toys? Can they do with 5? You know, when I was a therapist, I used to urge families to be honest with their kids about financial, health and other concerns. I don't believe in keeping it secret. I'm not saying you should scare them to death... but I am saying that you should be realistic with them. For example, you could sit them down and say something like this: "We want you to know that we are having a bit of a tough time financially. (If one of the parents has lost a job, say so.) So, we're asking you to be patient and understanding with us. Please limit your Christmas/Chanukkah lists.. keep them small. Please understand we can only buy a couple of things for you. And, we're going to eat at home more and not eat out so much. How about you help us come up with other ideas to save money?"

And, speaking of holidays, please remember that some people have nothing AND are experiencing great pain at this time. Although you might be juggling, don't stop being generous with others. Adopt a family for the holiday, invite the "strays" to share their day with you. Drop food off to an elderly neighbor. You get the picture. There's an important fact here: When you shift your attention to others less fortunate, reach out and help them, it's amazing how much smaller your own issues become AND you feel good. End of sermon.

About the shopping thing: If the bargain is here today only, DON'T push and shove... be patient. If you don't get the buy, wait a few days .. it will go on sale again. Is getting the best bargain worth stampeding and killing someone? And, here's a question for you: Who's fault is it that the employee at WalMart got killed? Is it Walmart's fault? Was it their greed to open at 5:00 AM with the draw of bargains and get people worked up? Or is it merely the fault of the individuals who in their desperation acted in despicable ways? I'd love your comments....

So, I guess this is a long enough rant. I've been gone a few days and am clearly making up for it all.

I'll be more connected to you.
Please share this with your friends. I truly want to build my readership.

Have a great Sunday and an even better week!
Ann

It's About to Snow ... and other Random Thoughts

Good morning,
I can't believe it's been over a week since my last post. My, my, but time does fly.
I've been to San Francisco and back... and I caught a cold. That's a funny phrase. Did I catch it like a ball? No, I allowed my immune system to run on empty -- not enough sleep or exercise and here I am.

Point: We are 100% accountable for our lives!

Wish is weren't so, but it is. So, today it's predicted to snow or at least send down a few flurries in NYC ... first time this year. With this cold, I think I'll sit tight, well mainly. Maybe I'll even RELAX and REST a bit. What a concept.


I think the last time I watched TV was on Election night and I can't remember when I just listened to music or read. I've been so busy being busy.

Any of you relate to just being busy ... for the sake of being busy? This past weekend, I attended a fabulous Landmark Education advanced seminar in San Fran .... it's called Power & Contribution. I learned there how much I DISTRACT myself from doing what I'm really called to this earth to do. Each of us had opportunities to see our individual strategies for avoiding or distracting ourselves. I saw that I spin and whirl around thinking of things to do and trying to do things, I putter, I go off to movies occasionally in the middle of the day, I get into some negative thinking AND I avoid sleep (funny). The avoiding sleep is an interesting one. In this time of economic challenge and trying to find more work, sleep has become a "waste of time" to me ... if I"m sleeping, I'm not being productive. And, also, when I go to sleep too early, and I'm not tired enough, my mind goes nuts muddling through all my doubts and fears and I can't sleep anyhow. So, I wait til I'm really tired and then easily fall asleep -- but it might be really late. I also distract by worrying and thinking through scenarios in my head.

I love to learn about how I operate. Only by knowing the choices I make, can I choose to do something else. You might want to try it.

Meanwhile, I'm watching how the Obama team is developing (a little) and I'm spending a lot of time on my computer.

Those are my thoughts on an early Thursday morning. Hope you have a great day.
Ann

Get a Grip -- We Can Overcome the Tough Times

Morning,
Well, let's see. Obama has been President Elect for nearly a week. Whether you voted for him or not... he's it. Will you help or hinder? Witch hunts are going on to figure out how he got in office. The finger of blame is all over the place, the pundits are still covering it all. Help -- when will it all stop? When can we just settle in with other things going on? And, NOT the economy.

I'm really tired of all the bad news. I learned a long time ago that "what you think about expands." It's a metaphysical dynamic. If you think bad things, more bad things happen; on the flip side, if you think more positively, more good things occur. What if we, in our collective consciousness all started to focus on what's good in the world, in our country, in our city, in our community, in our family, in our lives? What if we ONLY look at the upbeat things? Is it possible we could shift the current occuring in the world?

Point: STOP buying into all the negativity. START focusing in on what you have to be grateful for, how you can help another human being, how you can make the world a sweeter spot!

At this moment in time, I'm inundated by my own experiences of what's not working as well and by desperate calls from others about "what should I do ...?" I feel myself getting sucked into the "what's missing syndrome" and it can consume me.
So, what to do? How to handle it?

Here's the truth: You have NO control over much that happens around you ... NONE. But, you have total control about how you react to it, or how much energy you give it. So, start with you. Examine how you're reacting. What are you taking into the world and creating that is having negative impact? What MUST you do differently?

Take time to be still and quiet, maybe even meditate.
Take time to walk and breathe in the fresh air.
Take time to smile and laugh.
Take time to create a gratitude list ... what are you truly grateful for.
Take time to look around and see that there are many who have so much less than you.
Take time to tell someone you love them and be there to support them

Get the focus off of you and reach out.
Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.
Remember the law of reciprocity -- if someone does something nice for you, respond in kind -- do something nice for them OR pay it forward.

In other words ... take action.
Baby boomers were/are the activists of the century. Our activism made many wonderful things happen. In fact, if we were to mobilize our energy ... we could solve many of the problems impacting the world. I truly believe that.

I've been in total action these past couple of weeks. I've been on the phone promoting myself and my work, I've been writing, I've been teaching, I've been helping. I haven't been just trying to escape or hide under my blanket.

Ask yourself... in the words of John Kennedy: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!!!

Stop reacting, start doing what you CAN.
End of sermon.
Go out and make it a wonderful week ... for yourself and for others.

It's a new Era in the USA

Last night, our country elected a new president. Barack Obama, a 47 year young baby boomer is now the 44th President-Elect of the USA. What's interesting about this, is not just that he is an African American, and the first to be elected to this position as an African American, but also that he somehow has acquired the trust of more than 50% of the general population. He also managed to carry 2x the number of electoral votes, having carried the most urban and highly populated states. What's even more interesting than that is that he brought out the highest number of voters in recent history ... especially among the gen Xers and millenials.

Now, why did that happen and what does it mean for the baby boomer generation?
First, he obviously moves huge numbers of people. That's obvious whether you voted for him or not.
Second, he heralds in the generations that followed us. Notoriously, in the past, younger people did not vote in large numbers. They seemed almost uninterested. My own son, age 30, has voted since he was told enough to register; however, he never had as much interest or excitement about it.
Third, it appears to me that we are now passing the torch. John McCain, although not a boomer, is married to one; but, he represented someone who seemed "antiquated" to the youth. He also seemed uncomfortable in his skin.
Fourth, the people who did support Obama seem to have a new level of "hope and inspiration" than has been felt in recent years. Despite your party of choice, our current President has been a disappointment. People decided they wanted something new ... they wanted someone they think will produce "new and different."

It remains to be seen how this will all turn out. Either Obama will produce. He'll make his supporters and citizens proud. Or, he'll be a huge disappointment, in over his head as many have said.

However, under any circumstances .. we're in for an interesting ride. And, I, as a boomer am accepting that the generations that followed us are now moving into more meaningful roles and taking more responsibility.

Let's see where this takes us.
I wish President Obama the very best as he takes on the biggest challenge of his time. And, I hope he is open to hearing what we, the experienced generation that preceded him, have to say.

My last wish is that Obama bring stability in the world ... that other countries will see us, the USA, in a more positive way.

Here's to change.
Ann