I remember our cliche-“dude” surf instructor telling my sister and I to always be “cool, calm and collected,” because you have no control over the water, only yourself. Unlike an indoor wave pool, there are always going to be a few rogue waves.
I really appreciated seeing that my Boston friends were OK yesterday via FB when the city’s cell service went down. What presence of mind they had to alleviate their friends’ worries. There was a Facebook post about someone now feeling that the streets were no longer safe.
On another note, the stock market isn’t behaving as it “should.” Gold prices plummeted in recent days. Germany literally wants 674 tons of her gold back, which is stored in both the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and Banque de France. Many people I know are buying some sort of self-defense “tools” for their homes. Friends have mentioned slightly more unconventional stock trading choices. I hear of more between-the-matress cash hoarding. In Seattle, if you want to buy a house, you better offer double if you want to actually get it. Houses are flying off the market in milliseconds here.
A life-less-predictable can create a sense of insecurity and eventually desperation. Keep in mind where your security lies and what you have control over: your support system/family, your savings, your job/qualifications/intestinal fortitude (drive in life) and your health. Take a breath, maintain your responsible habits, stay informed, follow your gut, put health first, set aside the fear and you will be able to avoid desperate behaviors. A few rash, panic decisions have the power to collapse an economy and strong families can take over the world. Rogue waves can bring dolphins.
How have recent events influenced decisions for you? What gives you your biggest sense of internal security?
(photo by Skistar Trysil, via Flickr)
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