***What Better Time? by Judi Moreo

What better time than a recession to ponder the words of George Be
ard Shaw when he said, “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.”

While having lunch with my friend this week, she was complaining about how bad life has become. It seems her gasoline and cell phone allowances have been cut. That is unfortunate, but compared to the thousands of people who have lost their jobs, that’s not so bad.

Having our jobs cut is unfortunate, but compared to all the people who lost their homes and life possessions in the floods of New Orleans, that’s not so bad.

Losing our homes is very unfortunate, but compared to being tortured in a prison camp or losing our loved ones in 9/11, that’s not so bad.

In other words, our circumstances are not so bad they couldn’t be worse, so get busy and make the circumstances you want. We are creative beings. We have been given the incredible ability to think. We live in a country that allows us the freedom to try out new ideas.

Success is like an apple --- if you never plant a seed --- you’ll never get a tree. Without the tree, you’ll never grow an apple. Start planting those idea seeds that you have in your mind.

This economy may be the best thing that ever happened to our country. It may be the spark that ignites us to look at new ways of doing things. It may get us to meet our neighbors and share our resources. It may push us to think of new ways to live --- to do what makes us happy instead of what just makes us money.

Too often we find ourselves putting off what we really wanted to do – like playing ball with our son or spending a quality afte
oon with our daughter, sister, or mother. Too often we put our dreams and desires on hold while we slave away at a job we don’t even like. Maybe we’d be happier and not have so much to complain about if we didn’t have that cell phone attached to our ear as we rush around burning up our gas allowance.

The next time you find yourself complaining, remember that you, and only you, can make the circumstances you want. Look around. Find them. Take the first step in that direction. What better time than now?