Are you feeling a little more stressed than usual? No kidding….welcome to the summer of 2004! So let’s see…what on earth could be so stressful these days? Well, let’s check the menu: Bizarre weather, fires raging in the Western part of the United States, flooding in the Eastern states, two political conventions where the expectation of a terrorist attack is a foregone conclusion, and last, but not least, the Athens Olympic Games in August…and, all the while, the Middle East continues to be a center of turmoil. The multitude of television and radio stations are never far from our eyes and ears, to help us remember these events any time during the day. Stressed out? Naw….
 
So here we are, heading towards the end of July…going about our lives, while written on each person’s face is not only general fear, but also personal struggles too. You’re not a fool thinking that what we are facing these days are unique and monumental events. Where once weapons of mass destruction were laid to rest in the hands of opposing countries, today with some cash and a little know-how, the guy down the street could easily turn his home into a factory. On the surface, we look at life on a horizontal playing field…..yet, underneath, in the subconscious, there is a little voice saying “What on earth is going on?” Even the best optimists are struggling.
 
The way that I am trying to deal with all of this is with the proverbial phrase, “One day at a time.” As I write this essay, I look at tomorrow as a precious gem of Time given to me by the Heavens. It is so easy to take that gem for granted, yet, with all that is going on, the gem of Time has become more valuable. Each day circling my thoughts I say to myself, “Will the world look the same a month from now?” All I can do is take each gem of Time, polish it, and make it shine the best I can. Really, what truly matters is what we do with those gems that become our lives. Will we make our own unique individual contributions? This we have control over….our personal decisions that chart our own rare and special course. So if you feel discouraged, or disillusioned, grab a hold of that gem of Time…hold it in the palms of your hands, squeeze it, feel it, and mold it into something beautiful.
 
Each drop of rain has a voice….each river flows to the sea, each Soul climbs the ladder to infinity. All leave behind a message. A beginning, a middle, and no end. hang in there,
 
 
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2004 Jennifer Avalon