Go East, Young Woman!

I get stuck in routines that I think serve me nicely...and eventually realize that I'm going stir-crazy & desperately need something to change.

I've decided (a few months early) to make some resolutions. Well, one for now anyway.

1. I resolve to learn new things.

My first challenge is with an eastern focus. I started taking belly dancing classes two weeks ago. It's hard! But it's great for my body, I love the music of the middle and far east, and I'm meeting some great women. I also love the instructor, Laura, who is a friend of mine from about 7 years ago. If anyone reading this is in the GR area and interested in dance or yoga, check out the Armenta Studio. You'll love it!

The second challenge is to begin learning Hindi. My pragmatic, realist self thinks I'm nuts. But I've been fascinated with India (specifically) for several years and find the language to be incredibly beautiful - written and spoken! I'm still looking for practical applications for this challenge. I might consider sponsoring a child from India (through Children International or something) as one. Perhaps an older child, and I can practice writing to him or her. I'm also making plans to spend the summer of 2028 in India. I think it's realistic to expect that twenty years from now I might be comfortable enough with the language to converse with the locals, be able to afford the time and cost of the adventure, and LOVE having a memorable vacation with my husband of 27 years. But tonight I took the first step - I bought "Teach Yourself Hindi" - a complete kit with a book & two CDs.

Good-bye, ruts!

Yes I Can!

My favorite moment of the day so far:

I was so nervous I'd make a stray mark...I had my baby in my left arm but tried to hold the ballot with my left hand anyway. Anson kept grabbing the sides of the little booth and trying to suck on it. I lowered my pen to fill the oval and felt my stomach simultaneously rise to my throat and sink to my gut - what butterflies! I've never, ever felt so excited & terrified about an election.

Please, God. Please, God. Please, God. Please, God. Please, God. Please God. Please.

Aahck! I Can't Take It Anymore!

It's just too much. All of it. I'm SO excited and hopeful and terrified and anxious...not only for the election TOMORROW but also because we're scheduled to close on our house this week! Bah! I'm so overwhelmed with the intensity of emotions & impacts of events that I pretty much have to try to avoid anything & everyone - just to stay in my little bubble of deliberate semi-denial. Just enough denial to stay sane...but to be honest, it's not at all working. I can't function! I'm just waiting for two of the biggest things in my current life to culminate this week. And the sheer stress of the "what if?" is killing me!

But I'll just expect that by tomorrow night we'll be certain of an Obama presidency and by Friday we'll have money in the bank and no more financial ties to New Mexico.

And I'll pray for it.

Who Messed Up?

"I love being the underdog. You know, every time that I've gotten ahead, somehow I've messed it up," the Republican candidate said. (Full article here.)

Yikes! Does that sound like something you want the next U.S. President to say? Wouldn't actually gaining the presidency be considered "getting ahead?" Seems like the kind of comment an opponent or the media might make, but anyone with any sense of the power of words wouldn't make about himself. Yikes, John.

Oooh!

I just passed a gas station with unleaded regular at $2.99 and it STILL seems expensive. But it's nice that the "2" got to come back out of the box it's been in for however long.

Obama Video

Part of Obama's closing comments to us on Thursday morning.

"I need you to believe. Believe in yourself. Believe in a future that we can build together. Because together we cannot fail."

Obama Marathon

No grumpy people...despite the fact that you and everyone near you was awake at 5:30AM. Currently 6:50AM. I'll give you the "play-by-play" of my morning, but this was my first picture. I woke up just after 5:30AM thanks to my husband. I'm not a morning person, but I was determined to get downtown well before the gates opened at 7:30AM. I'd been warned that parking might be a challenge, so I opted to take the bus. Yay for public transportation! (Side note: several of the Grand Rapids city buses are hybrid-electric too...way to go, GR) I caught my first bus a few blocks from home at 6:15AM and was in line by 6:45AM.

The stage & stands around 8AM after we'd been let in. There were several large metal detectors like they have at airports for us to walk through. I was impressed at how thorough the security was - and grateful for it as well.

The Calder stabile and the cloudy gray sky. It was a chilly, dark morning.

Swarms of Obama fans...as one girl near me exclaimed: "There are SO many people here and we're SO close...I'm SO glad I'm not them!" Amazingly, none of them were grumpy. You'd think they only let in the happy people. :)

See? Told you I was there. Proudly sporting my "Vote Hope" button.

Close-up of a sniper

Long shot of a sniper - same one as previous picture

Case of a sniper rifle atop a nearby building

Can you see him? Yup. Sniper on the bank building. They were staked out all over the place. As I said, thorough. Grateful.

The stands after they filled up with a diverse selection of Grand Rapidians. The man and woman near the right side of the picture with their hands on their hearts are Joel & Rachel W. I was at their house a few weeks ago for a MoveOn.org party to watch Obama's DNC acceptance speech. They're neat people - and when I spotted them up in the stands I had to nab a photo for them with the banner in the background.

Michael Sak hyped the crowd pre-Obama just like he did pre-Hillary. Michael Sak goes yak-yak-yak and the crowd grows restless...9:25AM

And the crowd goes wild! Obama takes the pulpit...I mean podium...around 9:45

That darn light - I'll spend the rest of his speech trying to get a good photo somehow. I'm not sure if they would have had the lights up if it were a sunny day, but I'm sure it was so he'd look extra nice for TV.

"Vote Change - Judge Hathaway for Supreme Court"

Smart advertising, however, really annoying to have a plane buzzing & circling during Obama's entire speech. Would have been more effective & less irritating to buzz around in the 30-60 minutes BEFORE Obama took the stage when we were all anxious for something to pay attention to other that the people trying to edge their way closer to "meet up with their friends" or the people (happily - not grumpily) elbowing each other to grab signs...

The light really wreaked havoc w/ my photos...but I'll find a way.

Peeking between two tall young men worked pretty well to block the light. The two young men were, by the way, ADORABLE. And one of the sweetest couples I saw that day.

Obama with a light halo

Ask me about Barack

I think Obama was more serious during this speech than I've seen him yet. I'm sure he was really tired, so that could be part of it. The first time I saw him smile was mid-to-late in the speech when he said, "If I'm President..." and paused, and the crowd filled in with chants of "When! When! When!" Barack grinned & shook his head.

He didn't have the same charming charisma I've seen in other speeches, but he was really effective. Of course he focused specifically on Michigan issues & values, so it hit home.

Yup - the light still makes it difficult. Here was my view without zoom...well, if not my view then the view of my camera with arm extended up above my head anyway.

That's ALMOST a smile

Change We Need, indeed, my friends

Whistle while you work...whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo (and the John Calvin posture?!)

Getting serious with TWO fingers pointing

You there...stop taking pictures while I'm trying to talk. It's distracting.

Aren't they so darn cute? I was a little annoyed b/c they often blocked my view, but they were so tenderly attentive to each other AND Obama that I couldn't help appreciate them. I should have talked to them - they seemed really kind. But I'm sort of lame - it's easy for me to quietly observe and suppose without actually engaging anyone in conversation. I'm sure I miss out on meeting lots of great people because of this tendency. Dang.

"I need you to believe"

Something about this defining moment...most important election...you need to vote...something something something. Unfortunately I didn't absorb what he said as well as I do when I'm not seeing him live...the hype & energy & fun of it somewhat distracted me from the message. Granted, he repeated much of the same stuff I've heard already, but I feel a little bad admitting that I didn't really get much out of what he said on this particular occasion.

Thanks, folks! Now go eat some lunch & take a nap b/c you all need it.

And just as he made his closing comments, the sun finally broke through the clouds. It was like clerical "Divine Intervention" in the Steve Jackson game Munchkin. You go up a level for seeing Barack.

Shaking hands - when face to face with supporters he never STOPPED beaming. I couldn't get quite close enough, but managed to snap a photo between the raised cameras & phones & hands.

I saw a family friend there with her granddaughter.

La Grande Vitesse

Waiting for the bus on the return trip home... My first bus directly from downtown was crammed, and I had to run to catch it. Then I had to transfer to a different route to get closer to home, and this was my stop to wait. The trees were beautiful and the sun was out at this point, so it was really nice. I wouldn't have minded waiting longer than I did. I also gobbled down a Luna bar b/c I hadn't eaten anything since a banana at 5:45AM & granola bar at 7:30AM - and by this time it was 11:15AM - I was hungry!

It was very much worth the time & tiredness to attend, but I'm embarrassed to admit that my feet, knees, calves and back were all sore for about 4 days following. It's tiring to stand from 6:15AM till 11:30AM without a break or a place to sit or even room to stretch! Kinda made me feel old...

Hill

I went to see Hillary Clinton on Saturday. It was an outdoor event (somehow I missed THAT fine print & ended up with a very lopsided sunburn) at Central High School, and it was pretty fun.

Michael Sak introduced things, and I remembered him from 7 years ago when he was running for a local office and I was an AmeriCorps member with Creston Neighborhood Association.

We were given signs. Mine's in my car window now.

The crowd, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the main speaker - Hill.

I felt a little out of it a few times b/c it was clear that many (most?) of the people there had been Hillary supporters before Obama became the nominee. I wasn't. I didn't love Hillary compared to Barack, and I certainly didn't vote for her in the primary. But it was high energy on Saturday, lots of hype and suspense, and Hillary really is charming and eloquent.

At one point, she said: "I realize I'm preaching to the choir here." And followed it up with my favorite (and one of the more memorable, for me) lines yet: "Now I need you to go out there and be the choir - go sing this song to your friends & neighbors & everyone you meet." Creative - and inspiring - metaphor.

But now, on to the main event. I just got an email about Barack Obama coming on Thursday - and I aim to be just as close for photo ops there. :) Check back Friday for pictures!

Blog Update

Just in case anyone reading this didn't get the memo...the avenue for personal life anecdotes, baby milestones, and everyday goings-on will now be documented via the Lange Livin' & Lovin' blog.

A Nugget of Gratitude and Schmaltz

I enjoy church. I hear the statistics about the low percentage of twenty- and thirty-somethings who attend, and I understand their resistance. I've been there, too. But the habit of attending a church regularly, the music & ritual of it, the fellowship & stale cookies of it, is so familiar & wonderful that I can't help but desire it.

And now, for the first time in my adult life, we have found a church that I feel really excited about attending every week. So excited about it, in fact, that when we can't attend for some reason I actually feel like I'm missing out and want to know what I missed - what if that was the sermon that would have changed my spirit in a meaningful way?

I've loved other churches too - so, friends & family reading this who were members with me at any time in the past, don't feel slighted. But the church we've found here in GR has, I think, ALL of the things we sought: a choir & developed music program, a well-equipped nursery & education system for the little ones, the consciousness about social justice and environmental stewardship that we strive for, the celebrative acceptance of diversity, the insightful & spiritually stirring sermons (spiced with wit and humor)...I could go on.

However, even though Simon is gleefully occupied during the service, Anson is a squirmy and sometimes chatty (as only he can be) almost four-month-old, and certainly provides a level of distraction that competes with my determined attentive worshipfulness. I know the sermons are good, but I rarely hear & register the whole thing.

Long ago, I learned to seek nuggets. Nuggets of truth and joy and inspiration. I didn't realize till we were driving away from church yesterday that it was another "nugget" day. I don't remember what the sermon was about, and I think we were less than devout during the communion, but I took home a nugget I didn't expect. It was a frequently (but indirectly) repeated nugget about "home."

In the announcements we heard about how several families had lived in the church basement all week as part of our agreement in the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) and could a few people grab some bags of laundry to wash & return?

In a prayer the pastor prayed for people who don't have a home to return to - like hurricane victims.

In the sharing/caring prayer requests, a woman asked for prayer on behalf of everyone who was struggling with unemployment, mortgage burdens, etc. in this difficult economic/housing situation.

And I thought, "Oh, that's us." But then I realized that we DO have a home to return to. We aren't homeless or without resources & support. We don't have to live in a different church basement every week with volunteer congregants washing our bedding. And I felt ashamed of my attitude.

It IS hard to have a baby and then move right away. It's contrary to the "nesting" instinct of a mother. It IS hard to live across the country from the house we're paying a mortgage on, and it IS hard to feel stuck about buying a new, settled home till that one sells. It IS hard to realize that we don't have control over someone buying the house. It IS hard to job hunt, especially when you're trying to transition from one field of work to another. Yes, there are several challenges in our situation.

However, the nugget I took home from church yesterday was a nugget of contentedness. I felt humbled by my wealth - of support, family, education, opportunity. I could count my blessings here for you, but you know what they are - and could probably count a similar list of blessings in your life.

And even though it's legitimate for me to acknowledge the difficulty of being so unsettled, I'm not living in church basements or sports arenas or refugee camps like so many people all across the country & world. I even have a reliable phone, a mailing address (if temporary, at least it works to reach us) and the internet. Hoo, boy! I'm spoiled!

Thank you, God, for the nugget. I needed a little perspective & awareness about my situation. I'd been starting to feel like it was too bleak to tolerate - but what was I thinking? I'm blessed and blessed and blessed.

And before I sign off, I have to throw in here a little pause for gratitude toward my spouse. One of the major personality/temperament differences between us is that I am constantly striving for the next tier of excellence and he is more regularly content with the present. This causes some dramatic conflicts between us. Yesterday as my heart & soul shifted to a more humble, grateful tier, I realized that I was feeling a little more like Adam. Content. And humbled to realize that sometimes he might be right. Sometimes it's better to simply, contentedly, stay where you are.

Thank You, Fareed Zakaria

Read the entire article here: Obama Abroad

"In the end, the difference between Obama and McCain might come down to something beyond ideology—temperament. McCain is a pessimist about the world, seeing it as a dark, dangerous place where, without the constant and vigorous application of American force, evil will triumph. Obama sees a world that is in many ways going our way. As nations develop, they become more modern and enmeshed in the international economic and political system. To him, countries like Iran and North Korea are holdouts against the tide of history. America's job is to push these progressive forces forward, using soft power more than hard, and to try to get the world's major powers to solve the world's major problems. Call him an Optimistic Realist, or a Realistic Optimist. But don't call him naive."

Checking In

Just in case anyone reading this didn't get the memo...the avenue for personal life anecdotes, baby milestones, and everyday goings-on will now be documented via the Lange Livin' & Lovin' blog. This blog will be for more depth of subject - generally more difficult subjects like religion, personal faith, politics and core values. I can't guarantee there will be an essay format or clarity to these jottings - it's still just a blog, after all, and I do some of my best thinking as I write. But the subject matter at hand, at least, won't be trivial.

President Obama

Barack Obama will be the next President of the USA, thus transforming our country from the bottom-up and the top-down as well as transforming the world. How's that for a thesis? Except this won't be an essay. Just an incomplete list of reasons (outside of issues) why I'll vote for Barack Hussein Obama in November:

1. Our global image - "President Obama" sounds like a name from another place. I know that the USA is a diverse country, but looking at our nation's leaders you wouldn't know it. And where else would you have a George Bush for president? Only here in WASP country.
2. The transformation - grassroots organizers, poor black kids in Chicago, the White House - we are transformed by the way the campaign is being run: the hope, the image, the opportunity.
3. The direction & attitude from the White House - I really believe that Obama's approach is one that works, for our country and internationally. I served as an AmeriCorps member for two years and an AmeriCorps VISTA for one, so I have some experience with community organizing. Done well, I think it's the only way for democracy to truly work.
4. The expectations - as a result of this election, there are more registered voters than ever before (probably true of every election, but dramatically more this time). Also, there's less skepticism about voting mattering at all; instead there is the sense of a greater impact with even a single vote, as well as smaller, typically non-battleground states mattering more. As a result, voters and states overall have a justified expectation that more value is being placed on them - suddenly no one feels taken for granted.

I'm sure there are more...these are just off the top of my head for now.

McCain's Dangerous Choice

Not that it was a tough choice for me between Obama & McCain, but thanks, MoveOn.org for writing the following to validate my choice when it comes to including the Veep factor:

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

• She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.¹
  
• Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.²
  
• She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. ³
  
• Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.⁴
  
• She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.⁵
  
• She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.⁶
• How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.⁷

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-5894426-Li357Yx&t=8

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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Bethany Joy Lange on August 30, 2008. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

The DNC Hero

Tonight I heard & saw Barack Obama speak for the first time. I've heard blips on the radio & read things online, but this was the first time I've been able to see him give a speech. I've done my homework and I have so many reasons behind why I choose to support him, but tonight it's all emotional/gut reaction: he truly convinces me that things can be better. He truly inspires hope. That's almost enough just by itself.

Catching Up, A Bit

It's been over 2 months since I've written. In that time, the following have occurred:

• We moved from Silver City, New Mexico to Grand Rapids, Michigan with our two cats, two little boys, and all our stuff. Mom, Dad & a sister came (indispensably) to help.
• Anson Emory has lived 2/3 of his life thus far.
• Simon Gerard got his first (and second) haircut.
• Our house got back on the market because our buyer fell through.
• We've spent lots of time with family.
  
• I got bright blue streaks dyed into my hair for the second time ever, and realized that I'm NOT a teen-ager or a funky 20-something anymore. I'm a late-twenties mother of two who looks ridiculous with blue hair.
• I've thought out hundreds of blog entries worth of stories & observations, but written none of them, and now feel too overwhelmed to backtrack 2 months and play catch-up.
  

Media Challenge

I would like to stop hearing about the economy and possible/probable/current/impending recession, if you please.

Living in a small town where the economy is slow most of the time, it's easy to feel cut off from the rest of the country about things like the busting house market and such. We put our house on the market and sold it within 2-3 months this spring. Also, we sold it for nearly 2x what we bought it for just 3 years ago.

And my husband has been self-employed as a tile contractor for 3+ years here as well. There were certainly times that we started to talk about finding him a job with more reliable work & income, but mostly it served us quite well. There was the added factor of lack of jobs here - not due to any factories closing or lay-offs, but just b/c it's a small town and there are only so many possible employers no matter what your skill set.

And a great part-time job found me about a year and a half ago that I was able to do from home so I could still be here with my son. I only quit because I was 9 months pregnant and about to move across the country.

But I'm a faithful subscriber/reader of Newsweek and listener of NPR. Most of the time I'm grateful for them. When my most recent issue of Newsweek came and I saw the cover: "A Different Kind of RECESSION," I wanted to throw it away without reading it. Seems like every issue has had several comments about the economy and how things are slowing down and how bad it'll get before it gets better. Seems like there's also too much focus on the energy/oil/foreign dependence/environmental impact discussion as well, which gets equally discouraging to read about.

On the continuum of optimism to pessimism, I'd certainly fall more to the pessimists. I like to think of myself as a pragmatist, or a realist. Unfortunately, most of the time that results in pessimism. I don't need to read any more about the recession...especially as we're about to move back to one of the states that's been hit really hard by it.

Granted, we're not moving to the Detroit area or to look for jobs in the auto industry, which are the hardest hit. And because of the housing market being what it is, it's actually going to work in our favor if anything - so many houses are for sale (or in foreclosure) that we'll probably be able to buy a much nicer home than we otherwise could afford.

But I get paranoid about not finding jobs. And my body holds onto the stress I feel when I think about the economy. There's not-unfounded fear about being able to get a loan to buy a home again, even though we're leaving here much better off than we came.

I've noticed that, for the most part, people don't talk about what everyone's thinking about. With the exception of comments about the weather and the gas prices, people don't pass each other on the street talking about our oil dependence or the presidential election or the melting ice caps or the recession. Maybe we all share a collective spirit of denial, or maybe when we're in community we tend to try to be optimists even when we're pessimists while alone with our thoughts and magazines.

I've also noticed that, like with so many things, talking/acting/worrying about something will result in the manifestation of exactly that thing. I think people, as individuals but even more so in community, have so much more power than they realize to create a certain reality. When we moved here, we had no objective reasons to be optimistic about finding jobs or friends or a house, and yet everything worked out better than we could have ever expected. When I got pregnant (both times), we deliberately did NOT put any energy or attention into thinking what might go wrong, and I had two healthy, relatively easy pregnancies & births. When we started talking about looking to buy a home 3 1/2 years ago, we stayed positive in our expectations and found a really wonderful first home that we'll be a little sad to leave in two weeks. I could go on.

I'm not saying that anyone who has fears will automatically manifest negative results, or that our optimism actually caused the positive results we experienced, but I do think there's a power to the energy we put out. If for no other reason than because we see what we're looking for. If I expect positive, I'll see the good. If I fear the worst, I'll find it, like any other self-fulfilling-prophecy.

This brings me back to the recession discussion. The more the media injects fear into us through their coverage of our economic troubles as a country, the more they are assisting in the creation of that which they cover. The more that people read about the recession and depressed economy, the more we get depressed and act as though we are in a great Depression, and the more the economy is affected by our depression.

So I challenge the media to realize its power, and for individuals & communities to realize what we can manifest. I'm not a Pollyanna (although my best friend is), but I genuinely believe that a pragmatic/realistic approach is too cynical most of the time. We can create beauty and strength and abundance through our expectations of such. We WILL create depression and cynicism and a receding economy through our expectations as well.

So, Newsweek and NPR and all the rest that I don't read/hear but I know are out there preaching similar news: no more about the recession, if you please. Tell us what we are doing well, what we can do more of, how we're learning from our mistakes. Spin things to be true in a slightly more positive light. People are more motivated by humor and a positive approach than we are by bleakness and cynicism. Granted, fear works, but not in the ways you intend or with any lasting growth or improvement involved. Inform us, motivate us, tell us the state of things. But if you're going to spin it, and we all know you will because no one is impartial, spin it toward the light instead of the dark.

Do I sound naive? Call it the audacity of Hope...

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the father of my boys. I love you!

Adam and his little guys

We Love Uncle Tyler

Tyler was out of town when Anson was born, but as soon as he had a spare minute he came over to meet Anson and play with his favorite godson, Simon.