Election Day is Almost Here!

The election is almost here. And boy, am I glad. I am so tired of all the political commercials; and they’re numbers are increasing as the election approaches. I figure it’s probably because people don’t have a lot of money, so they wait until the end to run their commercials. Gotta figure they’re hoping that people vote for the person remembered from the most recent commercial aired. If that’s the case, it’s: 1) sad and 2) scary.

I was talking with a friend last night and we spoke about how we vow that we’re not going to get ‘hooked’ into all the election coverage hoopla, yet we find ourselves just in that very spot. Even my wife has been spending most of her time perusing the networks and cable stations looking at what’s being said today about the candidates. It’s disturbing to me. I keep telling her I’ll be glad when I get my wife back. Then I tease her about which candidate is going to get my vote. Of course I tell her ‘I’m kidding!’ otherwise I’d have to sleep with one eye open.

So, I’ll be glad when it’s done. The problems continue, and my concerns as well about the violence increasing in our country. A lot of people feel isolated, scared, and hopeless.
There is hope for people, let’s talk and find that hope.

October!

October – one of my favorite months in the year – the weather’s turning, but it’s not gotten outright cold yet, football is in full swing, we get an extra hour sleep when we turn our clocks back!

A favorite thing for me to do during this month is to rent/watch scary movies. I remember when my kids were growing up I’d go to the library and borrow old Frankenstein and Wolfman movies – they were very entertaining even in this day of special effects.

It’s just a lot of fun, even now that my kids are out of the home, we’ll talk on the phone and laugh about ‘scary movie month’. A good bonding time for us.

Anyway, my point is to have fun. I don’t want to ever lose the ability to have a good time. That’s my hope for you as well.

There have been an increasing number of violent occurrences in the past couple of months. People shooting themselves and others, leaving many to wonder ‘why did they go to that extreme’?

These extreme acts of violence say that some people come to believe there is no other viable alternative. They have tried all the things they know to make their problems better without much, if any success. They may have even tried some solutions they would have never considered before their final decision to use violence.

Most of the problems that come up in our lives can be improved, if not eliminated pretty quickly by doing something; making some change or changes in our lives. These financial problems we’re experiencing are not so immediately or drastically impacted by these changes we make.

So what to do when facing problems that are going to have long term effects in life.

I have a couple of suggestions:

1. Talk – don’t stop talking –even when you know your family and friends are ‘sick of hearing it’ keep on talking. As Shrek said, ‘it’s better out than in’ – wise words.
2. Stay in touch with others – continue meeting with friends
3. What’s really important? I am reminded of people who survive natural disasters say things like; ‘we may have lost everything, but we survived’.
4. Focus on today, the now – not tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. You can influence today. What you do today, can influence tomorrow.
5. Focus on today, the now – not yesterday, last week, last month or last year. What’s done is done.
6. Laugh. Find things that are funny and laugh.
7. Cry. It’s ok to do this. Be careful that it is not the only thing you do.
8. Get out for walks or exercise. This uses excess energy and you’ll feel better.
9. Love. Spend time with loved ones to support and be supported.
10. Be grateful for what we have. We often spend so much time on what we don’t have that we ignore those things we have. Even the little things. I’m grateful for the coffee I’m drinking right now.
11. Call the companies you owe money to and speak with them about your difficulties. Most often they’ll work with you. They want their money.
12. Get counseling. It’s always helpful to spend time talking with someone who can be more objective and can offer suggestions.

We’re all in this together. Each of us has a stake in how this turns out.