Wellness Wednesday: Nothing is lost that can't be replaced....

Throughout this whole car debacle, I've come to understand how much easier life can be when we don't get caught up in the drama.

During this process, I've been watching other people. The representatives of the insurance company, the neighbors, the person who caught the license plate number of the hit-and-run driver, the body shop that has been storing it.... the cast of characters goes on and on.

And I'm the only one who is detached. I am the only one who doesn't have a strong feeling of urgency.

Don't get me wrong. I'm very grateful for the people who have been helping me. I'm not indifferent to them. The insurance company (Nationwide, in case anyone is curious) has been helpful beyond the call of duty. That's a crapshoot though. It all depends on the claims representative and I got a good one.

The point of this is that I can't see getting upset about any of it. Granted, it's an inconvenience. It's more administration than I am accustomed to dealing with. Phone calls, DMV trips and trips to the body shop to release the vehicle to the insurance company. In the end though, it was just a car and both the person who hit it and I are okay. Nothing was lost that can't be replaced. In the end, that's all that matters.

It's been a long time that I've tried to reach this level, to be able to remain this calm during something that pulls me in contact with the systems, with phone calls, with negotiating, with all the things I most dislike doing ~ and still come out of it okay. No physical symptoms at all.

Now if I can just maintain it! Not only in this situation but in all similar situations!


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Financial Smackdown?

I can't help but wonder this.

It was surprising yesterday to hear that the Bail Out package failed. My first question when I hear about these things is "how will this affect working people and poor people?" That's my primary concern. People complaining about having to pay more taxes makes no sense. People who will be affected by losing their pensions, their homes and their investments is a much bigger issue than my wallet - or yours. People who will lose their jobs, the prices that will raise by a few orders of magnitude by inflation, the "trickle down" effect of this is huge! But this is part of living in a community. Mutual responsibility for each other.

So... I supported it on that basis. It's not a partisan issue. I don't belong to any political party. It's a human issue. And, yes, it's rearranging chairs on the Titanic but it's at least a step toward preventing economic catastrophe.

Later when I thought about the failure and viewed it as a failure of culture rather than a political failure only, something even larger came to mind.

Perhaps there is major change on the horizon. If there is an economic meltdown, community will be essential. Depending on each other will be essential. The culture will have to shift in its values and way of life.

It doesn't seem the lessons were learned after Katrina. Lessons weren't learned after Gustav. Lessons weren't learned by other catastrophic events that have occurred over the past few years. It always goes back to "business as usual" without substantial change.

I'm not saying this is punishment. I don't believe that for a minute and I'm not one of those Pat Robertson types who thinks the Apocalypse is coming. The world isn't going to end tomorrow. That kind of fearmongering nonsense is just an energy sinkhole.

This is about money. And attitudes about money. Value placed on money.

It's just money. At least on the surface.

But what if this is a much larger lesson? Have you ever considered that? How would you live if you didn't have "stuff" and money to depend on? What if neighbors had to depend on each other for sustenance? What if we had to give up the idea that we are independent and autonomous in all things?

What if we all needed each other? What would change?

Now.. at the risk of pissing nearly everyone off, I'll hit "publish".


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