Tag Archive for issue

Chill Out

Chaos leads to discord.  The messier our lives are the more conflict we feel.  Take a look at your too-hectic routine.  Pare that frustrating, never-ending “To Do” list down to just four ways in which you can simplify your life—maybe stop obsessing about a meaningless chore, learning to say “No” to taking on a new task, deciding that having family-time is non-negotiable.  Once you have your four, adopt one a week or month, whichever is less stressful for you.  Practice that simplification until it becomes part of your life.  Soon your frustrations will lessen, leading you away from anger-inducing situations.  You and the people around you will be happier.  In fact, what you used to think of as issues to go to battle over will become ones to be discussed and negotiated.  Make your world a little warmer by chilling out.

We Must Earn Our Right to Complain

You should be in decision-making mode right now, as vote-by-mail ballots arrive and voting day approaches very soon.  Here’s something to consider.

Lots of us are upset with laws that are being passed or how our elected officials are representing us. Many people are angry at new laws on the ballot that that will hurt specific economic, ethnic, or age groups, or that further endanger people who are already at-risk, or that fund projects that are clearly designed to benefit a small group at the expense of and little benefit to the rest of us.

Oddly enough, many who complain don’t exercise a basic American right that empowers the average person. They forget that one tiny individual voice added to all the other tiny voices equals a shout heard in the halls of all the legislatures.

Remember: you don’t have to vote on every issue and office. Vote on the ones you feel you understand and will have a positive impact on your state and country. BE that one vote added to another added to another that, together, DO make a difference.

This election, earn your right to complain: vote.

 

Sippin’, Sunnin’, and Ponderin’

Recipe for a nice summer day: sunshine, a comfy lawn chair, a cool drink, and a good book.  Combine relaxation with something worthwhile–read up on a social-justice issue.  The library is filled with great novels with social-justice themes and biographies of fascinating people like Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa. Explore a major issue you’ve been struggling with, like elder care, hunger, ethics in business, poverty, war, abortion, violence.  Ponder our responsibilities as part of the human family.

I have a  long list of titles to get you started.  Most  have annotations to give you an idea of what they’re about.  Email me at [email protected] and I’ll gladly send it to you.

Think about it: while you’re laid back sippin’ and sunnin’, you can learn how to simplify your life and make a better world at the same time.