Life: crisis = chaos/opportunity

The timeline we're hoping for: remodel, deep clean, relaxed reorg of our stuff, house appraisal, birth of our child. The timeline we will get may be totally different. We just hope that the last item doesn't happen literally in the middle of any of the others. But we'll just have to wait and see.

On another note, why would we want to include tax breaks in a stimulus package for the economy? Tax breaks, if they're ever appropriate, would be appropriate when the government has the money to release, not at a time when the government needs, as the biggest player in the US financial arena, to jump into the breach by creating jobs, encouraging the building of infrastructure, supporting the housing market, etc. I seriously doubt that putting $500 into people's pockets in the form of tax breaks will help us create jobs, build roads, save mortgages from going under, etc. It's a ridiculous idea.

What a wild time. It's one thing to think that the idea of opportunity and chaos being the flip sides of the same thing is cool; it's another thing to experience the realities of crisis and to have the mental and psychological wherewithal to appreciate the opportunities with some degree of equanimity. I wish us all the best in this; there are many huge challenges being faced by individuals, companies, groups, and the country as a whole right now.

For me personally, one big challenge is to maintain my emotional equilibrium through changing and sometimes difficult circumstances. I'm trying to remember that whether or not the dining room is clean or the upstairs is finished with its remodel doesn't have to determine the experience I have in labor. But it's easy to get caught up in have-tos about what I feel must be done. I've learned that cultivating gratitude is a good remedy for stress and short-sightedness. Maybe I'll spend some time focusing on that this week.

Wow, what a year!

I've always found the idea of writing a blog fairly intimidating, and so when I posted a couple of things during the presidential primary, motivated by a deeper political involvement than I've ever made before, and by strong feelings of anger and disillusionment, the whole thing then went nowhere. Sort of like the many times I've bought a diary and then after a time or two, stopped writing in it. I find the whole idea of regular writing intimidating to contemplate. However, inspired by blogs of friends and family, I am seeing that the blog is a way to stay in touch, to let people know how I'm doing and what I'm thinking about, and then they can read what they want, look at what they want, and there's no obligation for great thoughts, lengthy articles, or inspiration on demand. Just ruminations, experiences, impressions, etc.

This past year I've turned 40, gotten more deeply politically involved than ever before in my politically aware life, and chosen to have a child, whose imminent arrival has been dominating my internal landscape fairly completely lately. My partner and I have done quite a bit of work on the house, and that's been another significant change for me; I am stronger and more capable than I realized, and that's a nice thing to experience. Though of course, these days I can't lift much and run out of breath at the drop of a hat.

So, here goes. I have no idea how regular this will all turn out to be, but I'll try applying the maxim of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, and see how this blog thing develops.