The Recession May Be Over but the Guilt Lives On

Experts say that the recession is over.  What great news that is for those of us who may be a little tired of the black cloud of depression looming over us, but despite this wonderful revelation, the thunder is still rumbling.  This article in Newsweek touts that “The Recession Is Over!  But Not for You!”

Why not for me?  Can’t I be happy too?

And plopped right in the center of the article is a photo montage of the greediest people that are to blame for all of this mess.  The article continues to keep us beaten down and cringing:  “Having survived a near-death economic experience, Americans now need to focus on surviving what’s likely to be a pokey, painful recovery.”

Talk about a dose of guilt for those who actually don’t live every day just to survive!  Now I’m not knocking those that are down on their luck, but I am emphasizing here that we can decide which rain goggles we choose to look through.  Do yours show sun in the near distance, or just more rain?

Guilt Free Travel: Are Handouts Necessary?

I remember the first time I saw a leper.

Although it’s on the decline thanks to modern medicine, leprosy is alive and kicking in many third world countries.  I was in Morocco, and the man sitting (armless, by the way) on the dirty street corner smiled at me with barely 3 teeth remaining in his mouth.  I was in a hurry to meet a wool rug merchant who was offering me a private showing of his best handmade rugs, and I didn’t want to be late.  I quickly smiled back to the leper and was on my way.

But it isn’t merely the disease-stricken that drew my attention on that and other trips.  It was the kids running after me on the remote island of Lombok when I rode in on the back of a truck.  There were six other people on the truck with me, but the kids knew to thrust their hands out to me rather than the other visitors.  Perhaps it was my snow-white skin, or the fact that I even gave them the attention at all;  but there it was, that compelling feeling that I had to give to anyone extending a hand out for help.

And so here we begin a thread on how we can enjoy guilt-free travel no matter where we end up.  For no matter which country you visit–which includes our own, if you care to look for it–there will be financial disparity between the citizens.  And unless you are whisked off to the Ritz Carlton immediately upon landing your Gulfstream, then you are likely to have exposur to those less fortunate than you.

I will be leaving for Panama on June 21, 2009, and will be reporting from there about our travels and how we handled the poverty surrounding us.

Do you really deserve that?

Manifesting things is great fun, and it becomes easier with practice. Many of the things we’d like to manifest are intended to replace something we already have–something we whine or complain about and wish we could improve upon. The beauty of it all is that we receive what we THINK about and FEEL. Let me break that last statement down into parts using an example. Suppose we’d like a new car:

We THINK about the car. Maybe it’s a Lexus, a sage green IS250 with caramel colored leather interior. We can formulate the thought of the car, based on those we’ve seen sitting next to us at a red light, or at the dealership when we visited last Saturday. This part is easy.Do you really deserve that?

The second half of manifestation is the FEELING part. We can see ourselves behind the wheel, adjusting the seat, popping in a CD and turning up the tunes. Our hearts beat faster, the excitement builds, and we say to ourselves that we REALLY want this car.

But do we really deserve to have it?

It’s nice to have beautiful things, and for some, driving a coveted and dependable vehicle would be a great improvement to what they have now. But what if your car is just fine? What if the payments fit your budget, repairs are at a minimum, and it shows no signs of deterioration? OK, it may not be shiny, it may have key scratches on it and a few door dings. Have you appreciated your present car for what it’s given you all these years? Or do you find yourself complaining that it’s old, ugly and out of style?

Learning to appreciate what we have is paramount to getting more of it.

So next time you start the manifestation process, ask yourself “Do I really deserve that?” If so, then donate your old car, with blessings, to those who will appreciate it for what it is. The thanks you give will open the door to acceptance for the newer, shinier model.

Internal Happiness despite the External Economy

If you listen to the news, the sky is falling at any moment.  The Dow is down, homes are being lost, and the future for many is on shaky ground.  It’s no wonder people lose their marbles in such an environment.  However, these issues have repeated themselves, with different details, through man’s entire existence.  For the caveman, it was a lack of food and freezing temperatures, and babies that rarely lived past the age of one.  Then there was the bubonic plague, a multitude of crusades and wars, and the Great Depression.  If you look back, things have rarely been peachy for very long.  Even the ancient Babylonians, considered the wealthiest civilization on earth, employed exorcists and the diviner, who drove away evil spirits that haunted the citizens. Giving in both abundant and scarce times

Now in early 2009, we are acutely aware of this particularly painful period in history because we are living in it; yet external elements of society–whether it be sickness, unrest or a bad economy–need not influence our inner well being if we choose to disallow such it.  This does not require you to plunge your head in the sand and ignore the pleas of those in need.  There’s plenty of room for assistance in times like this.  Rather, your attention toward others and away from your own needs allows at least two parties to benefit from your generosity: the recipient of your goodwill (whether that be time or money), and you, who according to the Law of Attraction will receive similar kindnesses in turn.  This is where true happiness lies, from the giving of yourself in both plentiful–and scarce–economies.