Not just rain

Let’s face it! It’s that rainy day our parents always told us to prepare for. Well…maybe not just rainy…it’s a financial Hurricane Katrina! At times like these, many of us just want to crawl into a hole, pull the grass over our heads and hide out until the sun is shinning again.

The upside of disaster

What if we collectively decided to review our life choices? What if we decided that our world turned upside-down could actually be a good thing? Maybe if we made some changes, our health, relationships and even the environment would benefit. When was the last time you were forced to slow down and re-group? When was the last time you had the opportunity to contemplate what to do with your life, next?

My devil’s advocate is saying, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ms. Pollyanna! Be practical! What about the mortgage, the kid’s college tuition, and food on the table?”

I Want My Life Back!

Many are undoubtedly screaming “I want my life back! I just want anxiety to GO AWAY!!” I LIKE Starbucks!

How about chewing on some new possibilities instead of just battening down and waiting for a turn-around?

Consider Taking a Different Path

What if we were brave enough to try taking a new path? Some of us have no choice BUT to take a new path. Perhaps the challenges we all face give us an opportunity to be REALLY creative! Have you thought about some of the following options?

1. Live with less and have a richer life…maybe you can take that cooking class and invite friends over instead of going to a restaurant; revamp that book club or start a discussion group; start a community swap meet where no money changes hands and get to know people you’ve never met; start a community walking group and get fit while making new friends; have a neighborhood tea where everyone brings something yummy and a few cuttings from their garden to share; barter with a friend or neighbor he/she needs a retaining wall and you need to plant some bushes; start a group that meets to brainstorm…help each other out.
2. How many of us have come home from work, opened the garage door with the remote, parked the car in the garage, and gone into our homes without even having stepped outside? Do you ever see your neighbors? Why not take this time to re-learn what it means to be part of a community.
3. Bundle your talent and experience and market yourself to a new industry or start your own biz. Sit down and figure out exactly what income you actually NEED to pay the bills. You might be able to work for less and not even know it! And, you might even be able to find work you enjoy more and that will give you more free time.
4. Do some research and see if there is an area you might like that is more affordable. You might choose to move from the suburbs or country to the city where you could walk to work, ditch the car (or rent one when you need it) and have access to a wider choice of events and activities. It might even make you feel younger!
5. If you have some time on your hands, consider taking some classes to update your skills, or spend some time in your grandchild’s classroom (our educators need help right now.)
6. Get your kids involved. They could sharpen their pencils and go for some of that unclaimed scholarship money.
7. Put in that long dreamed-of vegetable garden and share the produce with your neighbors and the local Food Bank.
8. Rediscover the library.
9. Remember that storage locker to have? Why not sell all those items you never use on E-Bay. You can make some cash and won’t need to continue to pay rent for things you don’t use.

I hope these ideas will act as a spark to fire up some new ideas of your own.

Let’s talk!

Let me know what you are doing to make this time in your life a little easier, less expensive, how you are re-inventing, and how you are coping. Leave me a comment below. Let’s talk!