Double Binds

Getting a late start blogging tonight, today was one of those ones where the unexpected but good happens and derails your plans. This year has been something, so many beneficial things happening in the midst of so much seeming chaos in the world. My brain doesn’t know how to process it, so I shrug and give thanks for everything that’s going so right and send love to everything that’s going so wrong that’s out of my control. I focus on the things that I can do to help and let go of the rest.

I have to say that having enough money does make a tremendous difference in our level of health, in our stress levels, and our sense of stability and peace. When we’re constantly having to worry about how we’re going to buy groceries, to pay bills, where it’s years of miraculously scraping by while working at jobs where we are unhappy, where we’re damaging ourselves by working odd hours and overtime, it takes a tragic toll on our wellbeing and quality of life.

This year I’ve finally enjoyed some months where I’m not concerned and stressed about making ends meet and it’s like night and day. I’ve had a long stretch where I didn’t have to force myself to exchange my time doing unfulfilling, dreaded, stressful, soul-killing duties that were damaging my health in order to make money.

People are not paid enough for what they do. The owners of the large businesses and corporations keep the money for themselves and pay workers as little as they can get away with so that we at the lower end of the totem pole struggle to eek by and have to work multiple jobs and overtime to survive. And good luck to those of us who have health problems, insurance is ridiculously priced even with high deductibles. And who has time to take off work to tend to their health?

The physical therapy I’ve been doing would not be possible for me to do if I was working. I don’t believe we should have to sacrifice our health like this. We need to have a better system that takes care of people, which promotes health and wellbeing instead of exploiting them and working them into the ground. I’m attempting to try my hand at being my own boss and building a business that is healthy for me and helps others too, where it’s mutually beneficial. But not everyone can do this and who knows if I can either, so where does that leave us? We depend on jobs in order to survive.

I don’t understand how people believe this is okay, that people are not paid a living wage and vote against candidates that could possibly help correct these imbalances.

I am so hoping this will be the year that begins a momentous and rapid transformation in the world for the better. Maybe we will begin to see benefits amidst the chaos like I’ve been seeing in my own life. I’m giving thanks in advance. Please make it so. So be it, so it is.