One of our patients breeds pugs, and this little guy was pushed off a deck and suffered a major spinal trauma, paralyzing him.  Steve told her to bring in the puppy and after the first adjustment the puppy could stand, and now after two weeks of treatment, he can walk again.  The breeder was amazed, but also our other patients who are regulars are amazed as well.  It is tiny little miracles like these, that really have inspired people.  Imagine then, what removing subluxations can do for a human spine!  Anyway, it was a great way to conclude a busy week.

I hear this phrase all the time,  “I would love to…”  It acts as a preface to the most irritating word in my personal lexicon…”but”   I would love to but I…and because the synapses in my brain have created a defense mechanism to protect my cosmic optimism, my ears start to ring and I can’t comprehend what comes after the but…  Personally I think we disrespect the word love by weighting it down with an excuse.  Love should be the reason that everything is possible.  As a  force greater than the wind, the tides and gravity what follows the word love should always be full of possibility and optimism, not just a platitude for really lacking the faith to move into the possible.  What more honest a phrase than, “I would really love to but I just don’t have the faith in myself that I could overcome the obstacles that may come.”  or to those who are just looking for a nice way to opt out of doing something they never wanted to in the first place…shame on you, that’s as bad as a hormonal boy saying “if you loved me you would”….  Say what you mean, and if it truly is something you’d love to do….never ever include it in the same sentence as the word “but.”

I’ve been on a book buying moratorium lately as a means to curb over all spending  and to fend off having to build an even bigger library at our house than the one we have…and is now full.   Then I went to amazon.com to check the details of a book and somehow clicked on editor’s choice for 2009, and nine books later I was checking out sheepishly.  I usually  justify myself by saying it could be an obsession with shoes or jewelry, and at least I am enhancing my mind…..this time, I simply said out loud to my husband that I was going to act as if the money will just come to cover my indulgence.  After the point and click and the order was complete, I continued on to a very hectic day and when it was done I was ready to collapse and watch my dancing show, and my husband asked me to go watch the town baseball team play….just for a little while.  Just as the word “NO” was about to roll off my tongue, I had an unusual change of heart and said I would go.  They had all these little raffles there to raise money for the volleyball team and guess who won a money prize…the exact amount of money that I had spent on books?  I had to admit, I got the shivers a bit afterwards and am tempted to “act as if” all the time now…which would most likely ruin that kind of cosmic momentum.  I did thank the universe for my little gift and now will relish every word…guilt free.

As a result of many challenging circumstances, I’ve had really interesting conversations with people about money lately.  Almost every one of them believe that they don’t have enough…and desperately so.  I fully understand the challenges of the world today, I know some who have lost jobs and homes…but, without being specific to any given person, is it because our society has just been too greedy for too many years?  I know my parents had very poor childhoods, but still remember it with great fondness because, quite frankly, they had the love and support of their family,  neighbors and their churches.  My father remembers his mother leaving leftovers out past the back gate for the hobos on their way to the railroad.  He does remember how difficult it was at times, but he was happy.   He taught me to believe that we have exactly what we need for every given moment, and I really try to live by that axiom…even through the ulcers of trying to cover our expenses.   And…I was feeling pretty maudlin about it all.

The next day,  friends asked my husband and I over for “an opportunity to save some money”  and because they are good friends and I didn’t want to hurt their feelings we went.  By the end of the presentation I felt sick, not because it necessarily was a bad deal, but every person giving their testimony talked about how much money they made and all the stuff they were able to buy and how little work they had to do to get it and now lived the life of leisure which is every one’ s dream.  Really?  isn’t having too much stuff the core of many of  today’s financial problems?  I don’t want a life of leisure and endless spending and vacations.  I want to feel passionate about the work I do, and have it benefit people.  I don’t mind hard work, and building a practice where people feel welcome and we are trusted.  What I do mind is the expectation that they shouldn’t have to pay for it.  The sense of a fair exchange seems missing today, everyone wants something for nothing.  One person commented during this presentation.  “I make more money now doing little to nothing than I did my entire career.”   I have to say, I was a bit appalled.  Maybe I’m naive to think that life should be more than one long vacation.  I walked away feeling more relaxed about my choices.  Life is hard right now, I won’t lie…but I certainly don’t think a ton of easy money would necessarily make it any better.   I don’t want something for nothing because it leads down a road that somehow discourages personal culpability.  I want to celebrate the results of a strong effort and have the world be a better place because of it.