friends and money

This morning on the news they mentioned that as many as 26% of retailers may face bankruptcy as a result of a dismal holiday shopping season. In China, toy factories have been shut down and workers have rioted in response.

Amazon.com has had a good year, and the internet is providing new ways to connect with each other.

I have advocated a return to the basics, a simple life in which we make things for ourselves and nurture each other in ways that are less destructive of our fragile environment and interior sensibilities. I am lucky. I live in a small town in which every trip to the post office or grocery store is a social event. Relationships that have been built on over 30 years of peaceful encounter are a treasure that few people these days have known.

Relationships are easily built if your temperament is kindred. They require kindness, consistency, responsibility and cheer, things that can be easy on-line and at your own convenience, but harder when standing in line at the post office. Real life relationships are the best ones and the ones you had best cultivate for the full security of human experience.

I sincerely hope that all who happen upon this blog are facing manageable change. I would not wish for things to stay the same. Getting back to basics and strong roots in family, community and personal creativity are the blessings I wish for all. I am reminded of a saying from the last major recession. "Friends will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no friends." Having friends is what makes the difference between change that is manageable, and change that is not. So, if your times are tough, reach out to friends, cook, serve, make and plant. Things will get better, and the friends you make in line at the post office will turn out to be even more valuable than the ones you find on-line.