Perspective

I always seem to get in the mode of reflection during the holidays…taking stock of my life, business, my accomplishments, my shortcomings, my failures, my plans that fell through, and those that exceeded my expectations. This past year has been one of ups and downs for me. On the upside, it’s been a good year for my business in spite of the recession. On the down side, my husband’s construction business has taken a huge hit for the past couple of years, and it’s affecting our finances and my attitude. I need a swift kick in the pants, because in the final analysis, it’s damn inconvenient, but it isn’t going to break us.

I spend a lot of time on social networking, mainly Facebook, and besides being good for building business relationships and keeping up with friends, it has provided a reality check for me on an almost daily basis.

I have a fair amount of followers on Twitter and a lot of FB friends, many of whom I’ve never met in person. Most are massage therapists who read my blog or have read my books, attended a class or listened to a webinar. I get little glimpses into their lives on Facebook. I see a lot of massage therapists struggling with their businesses and some who are jobless altogether. I see tragedies every day; somebody loses a loved one, or someone’s beloved pet dies. I see the posts of several who are battling cancer, and a couple with children that have cancer, and the positive attitude they keep amazes me. I read about the comings and goings to Afghanistan and Iraq, and sometimes about the deaths, of soldiers whose family members are my FB friends. I’ve seen people announcing their weddings and engagements, and I’ve seen a few divorces play out as well.  Facebook isn’t all about Farmville. It is a journal of the human collective.

I’ve also been obsessed recently with looking in our local paper to see how many job openings are listed vs. how many foreclosure notices are listed. Today it was one job opening, 6 foreclosures. It’s depressing, but it’s also a wake-up call for me. I’m not in any danger of losing my house. We can survive on my salary–I had to put the kibosh on collecting guitars and we might have to skip a vacation, but we’ll be fine.

In perspective, I don’t have any problems at all.

Peace on Earth, and may you all be blessed.

One Reply to “Perspective”

  1. Laura –

    The old saying “if you want to forget your troubles – take a look at someone elses” always applies. I strive to provide a sanctuary for my clients to forget about their troubles for a bit. It can be a very distressing world at times, but, I am always optimistic that “this too shall pass” So in this most blessed and stressed time of year I wish peace within and without to all. And I give thanks that I have been able to support my family doing work I love for another year.

    Ty

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