Give a little bit…it’s good for you!

Early mornings, I toast a slice of multi-grain, make a smoothie, stretch my complaining body and listen to CBC radio. Lately I can’t help but notice the mention of job losses across Canada has become a daily feature. If it’s not the fate of Chrysler & GM it’s the financial, forestry or industry X. These aren’t easy times anywhere in the world. You may have friends and family who have been affected, who’ve accepted severance packages or buyouts reluctantly or with trepidation. Maybe you are feeling the tremors of the global economic downturn in your own home, or maybe you’ve already had a full-on earthquake.

What can we do to stay hopeful? I can hear Obama saying:

I’m asking you to believe. Not just
in my ability to bring about real
change…I’m asking you to believe
in yours.

We’re all trying to stay a float. Whether we turn the thermostat down, bike to work, shop smarter or put off a home renovation or holiday for better times, we can’t forget there is something we can do. We can think about the life we’re creating for ourselves and whether it’s meaningful and sustainable. Is it possible that this economic emergency is an opportunity for all of us to review what that looks like? Are we working our lives away for fame & fortune at the expense of health, relationships, the environment and community?

What would feel good or better?

Volunteer

Losing a job can raise anxiety but if you’ve unexpectedly found yourself with a little time on your hands you could volunteer. According to Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, it might even be good for you. I heard him speaking with Mary Hynes on CBC Tapestry and it appears that when we are altruistic, it releases brain chemicals that make us feel good. Keltner believes this is one way we ensure we maintain healthy communities.

My mom has volunteered her whole life. She’s canvassed for the Canadian Cancer Society, been a reading assistant at an inner city elementary school and put in untold hours at her church…all while raising 3 children and working! I look back at my volunteer record and while it didn’t stop in high school, it’s certainly thinner. The 3 years I lived in a small BC town demonstrated that people are still out helping in their communities. Whether it’s checking in with an elderly neighbour for a game of canasta, supporting the local hockey league by eating at the spaghetti feed or helping with community theatre…it seems like everyone’s doing something. It’s free – try it!


Micro giving

One of the best ideas I’ve heard comes from Pas Paskaran, a physics prof at NAIT in Edmonton. He thought if he could find 10 friends willing to put away $5 a week for a year, they could then decide together to whom they would like to donate the money. That’s a significant donation for any organization and yet $5 a week is just a latte for many of us. You could do this with friends, colleagues or use it as a way to get children thinking about the responsibility we all have to our greater community. Don’t forget that when times are tough, donations to charitable organizations go down when they’re most needed.

Some of my favourite people to donate to are:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.msf.ca/
http://www.unitedway.ca
http://www.vch.ca


Be creative

What feels better than creating? It’s been a secret desire of mine for years to sing in a choir. A friend in LA does and it’s one of the most joyous moments in her week and she’s a very successful animator. What do you secretly long to do? Make bread? Play the guitar that’s been lying dormant? Learn to paint? Whether you just make cookies with the kids or hang out at the arts & crafts table at the next local festival, you’ll have a good time. Being entertained by others is ok but teaching your children to cook or knit, builds relationships. Check out www.etsy.com to get inspired.

Get healthy

Despite my daily stretch, I ache in the places where I used to play, as Leonard Cohen said so well in his song “I'm Your Man”. Working too much these last few years has taken a bite out of my exercise schedule. Regular swimming, skiing and climbing have fallen away and I’ve been left with yoga and urban walks. It’s something, but what’s better than that deep sleep you fall into after being outdoors in the fresh air all day? For many of us, exercise and eating right get sidelined before anything else. How can we make them priorities?

Be green

As a kid there was nothing I liked better than shopping at the annual flea market. I found treasures – some that I still own. Cashmere sweaters, a crazy teapot, books, unique oddities no one else has. Now I can’t help thinking that if we all keep buying “Ready to assemble” furniture from our favourite Swedish store and clothes that fall apart after one wash –there won’t be anything “retro” or “vintage” left for the next generation of kids. Saving up for something we really want that’s better quality is really the way to go. We may have a little less but we’ll have a lot better.


Look around. The recession may be bringing you more opportunities than you first recognized. What are you really missing?



References

http://my.barackobama.com

Tapestry - April 5, 2009 - Survival of the Kindest
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/tapestry_20090405_13897.mp3

Waldie, Paul. "Donation physics: Take a small number and multiply." The Globe and Mail 31 Jan. 2009: B2.

http://www.leonardcohen.com