redefining worth

because of our income, my hub and i qualify to visit the local food bank once a month as well as the local "free" thrift store. (yes, everything inside the store is free. clothing, food, household, etc.) while i have been grateful for this assistance, something has always bothered me. the vast majority of the items at the thrift store are worn out, stained, often so old the fashion is no longer in style. the food bank, the food items are sometimes held together with duct tape. the food itself is often very unhealthy with high amounts of preservatives, fat and coloring.

the guilt voices of society tell me "hey, it's food. be thankful. it could be worse." i also hear "that is what the poor deserve. they want more? they gotta earn their keep."

all of those voices--false. judgemental. truly and utterly wrong when it comes to the true inherent worth of us all.

ask anyone and they will tell you it feels good to experience the sensation of wearing a beautiful, new, clean article of clothing. they will tell you it feels good to put healthy, nutritious food in their bodies. in short--IT LIFTS UP A PERSON. and i gotta admit, despite my gratitude for this little extra help, i often leave these places feeling like a second class citizen.

while we visited the free thrift store today, i observed a young male in his early 30's or so browsing through the shirts. i noticed he picked out a red and black checkered flannel shirt. i wonder if he had ever owned a nice, new silk shirt. the shirt he picked out was old and looked tattered, and yet he obviously felt at some level he would wear it. as i watched him i so wanted to ask him if he would feel better if he could select from new or newer items of clothing.........

i had the idea of a new organization to help those with the lowest of incomes. they are every bit as deserving of luxury and wealth as anyone else and i do not for one second think they need to work hard or prove themselves to obtain that. we need to stop defining our worth on outside circumstances and remember our worth is always perfect, always equal, always present.

my idea was to ask for help from local grocery stores, clothing and household shopping stores. ask them to donate new items. healthy foods. while it may not fix the hunger problem or the problem of low income and poverty, it will, at the very least, boost the hearts and the minds and the feelings of worth of those who are in need of such little moments of luxury. and i believe that those increased feelings of worth can only serve to help these people and in turn, our community. our world.

my predictions

we've all been to those websites. you know the ones i am talking about, where someone makes a bunch of predictions about a variety of things. the ones that gather the most attention are those that make the most startling predictions. things like "the west coast is going to be swallowed up by a giant earthquake in the next two months" or "bin laden will be found alive soon!" or "the dollar is going to collapse and the u.s. economy is going to be destroyed once and for all!" or my favorite "there is going to be a huge flu outbreak, leaving 3/4 of the population dead in a matter of weeks!"

thank goodness such nonsense never comes to fruition. oh well, it keeps the chicken little's entertained.

i thought i would put forth my predictions. note: these are meant for entertainment purposes only and, even though i receive these messages directly from god/allah/the holy spirit and oscar the grouch (ya never know what REALLY goes on inside of that garbage can), they are only messages which i have interpreted through my myriad of filters, perceptions, judgements, etc. etc.......

1) the sun is going to continue to rise every morning and all across the world, people will wake up, shower and go poop. toilets flushing everywhere, in unison. now THAT is peace, man!

2) people will continue to look in the mirror and not be totally satisfied with what they see.

3) brad and angelina will continue to have children of their own and they will continue to take up unnecessary amounts of news time.

4) along those lines, the u.s. media will continue to sell us lies and half-truths.

5) some of our family members will continue with their obsession with jesus christ, or as i refer to him, cheez its wipes, and they will continue to put it in the face of every non-believer.

6) someone will win the lottery.

7) hens will continue to lay eggs and roosters will continue to crow.

8) someone will get so frustrated with the rubix cube, they will throw it at the nearest wall.

9) george bush et al. will finally connect with their souls. (ok, so that is a wishful thinking thought and not really a prediction.)

10) corporate america will continue to screw the worker.

11) along those lines, more people will continue to go into business for themselves.

12) health care and housing will continue to be out of reach for too many people.

13) along those lines, people will begin to get creative when it comes to owning/renting a home and, as they begin to tap into their own authentic power, they will realize perfect health CAN be had and created. once that happens, watch the powers that be, including the insurance companies, tremble and collapse at our feet, whining and whimpering like sad little wet, lost puppies.

14) oprah will continue her attempt at relating to those outside of her elite circle of wealth and ignorance.

15) i will continue to be demanding, controlling, self-focused, idealistic and creative. (whew--THAT felt good!!)

16) somewhere, there will be an earthquake, a volcano, a hurricane, and a tsunami this year.

17) along those lines, government will continue to drag their pathetic feet and refuse to admit that the earth, she is a changin'...........

18) there is a lot of debate over the "end times" scenario. i think it's a bunch of hocus pocus silliness. however, for the sake of, well, for the sake of something, i would like to put forth my fantasy prediction. how would i like this 'end time' to look..............hmmm..........

ok, picture this..............the sky, she is a rumbling...........thunder bolts of lightening..........rain whipping.............the wind, howling like wolves..............the intensity grows.............people are silenced to a deadly hush.............suddenly, just like the red sea, the clouds part.................an eery quiet spreads over the land.............christians are praying for jesus...........muslims for allah........there is a desperate silence of anticipation.............is this the end???

from the parted sky, there rolls out a beautiful velvet purple carpet..........aaaahhhhhh, the people say in unison................what does this MEAN???................purple carpet...........velvet..............then there appears to be what looks like a mcdonald's container of french fries, slowing rolling down the carpet.............it comes to a stop at the end...............no one says a word for the people are expecting something else to appear.............french fries??? that can't be all there is!

finally, one brave soul steps out of the crowd.................she reaches out and takes the container of french fries into her hands.................just as she begins to wonder "what do i do with this now?" a booming voice is heard from up above. "share this with the people."

share what with the people? the french fries? it cannot be that simple is it?

now this scenario can have two endings and i will let you pick which one works for you. the first ending has the young woman sharing the fries with all the people. magically there is enough for everyone.

the second scenario has this rush of panic and fear. some take more than their share of fries while others refuse to even touch them. this leads to fighting for some. for others, it leads to quiet retreats back into their churches and their homes, weeping for their "sin", pleading with this god entity of theirs, "why didn't you take me with you?"..........."what did i do to deserve something so meager as a french fry?" etc. etc.

given how people, in general, have been and are, i predict the 2nd scenario would likely occur today. although i can always hope for the first.

nina