| Forget Perfect Monday Minute |
The New Normal Does Not Include Whining
|
"The
universe is an amazing teacher, and sometimes we get two curriculums
for the price of one. In this case, perhaps we're getting more than
just a tough lesson in fiscal responsibility. Perhaps we're also
getting a lesson in gratitude." |
Welcome to the new normal.
Your
401(k) has tanked, your job is hanging by a thread, and purchases you
once considered routine are now major life decisions.
Many have suggested the current economic challenges are causing us to rethink our values.
That may be true, but I'm also still hearing people talk about when we get over "this" and things get back to "normal."
Exactly
which normal are they talking about? The normal where people saved
money and their assets grew? Or the normal where people financed
granite countertops with their home equity line or charged flat screens
on their VISA?
I'm all for economic stability, but do we really want to go back to the way we were?
The
universe is an amazing teacher, and sometimes we get two curriculums
for the price of one. In this case, perhaps we're getting more than
just a tough lesson in fiscal responsibility. Perhaps we're also
getting a lesson in gratitude.
My heart breaks for the people
who don't know where their next meal is coming from. But many who are
lamenting our losses have lost sight of just how good we still have it.
While
we're crying over our brokerage statements, other families (including
people in this country) are wondering how they can keep their kids
safe.
While we're missing going out to restaurants, many
families would love to sit down at an old kitchen table with a big pot
of macaroni and cheese.
Just because other people have it worse
doesn't mean that your problems aren't real and significant. My husband
and I lost a family business in this mess, so trust me, there's been no
shortage of pity parties at our house.
But if we're honest, and
I certainly include myself in this, while we may be whining about what
we lost, the truth is, we weren't very grateful for the good times when
we had them.
When we whipped into Applebee's or picked up
Chinese food because we were too tired to cook, did we appreciate that
we lived in a country where there was plenty of good food and that we
had enough money to buy it? Or did we whine about how exhausted and
stressed we were?
When we got assigned yet another endless
project at work, did we appreciate the fact that we had a job and that
our paycheck didn't bounce? Or did we grumble about how misguided or
demanding our boss was?
Times are tough. But how much more do we have to lose before we learn to be grateful for what we have?
People
say that when God wants to teach you lesson, first he whispers; then he
shouts; then he smacks you over the head with a two-by-four.
The reality is, we're only at the shouting stage. We haven't yet been hit by the two-by-four. Yet.
Losing
your money or your job or your home can be a devastating setback. But
losing your sense of purpose or the people you love or the opportunity
to shape your future would be even worse. And so far, that hasn't
happened.
The lesson is becoming pretty obvious, or at least it is to me:
Be grateful for today, because tomorrow is uncertain. It always has been and it always will be.
Maybe this is the new normal we've been waiting for. Less stuff and more gratitude, I think I'll take it. |
