Articles

It is a cold, snowy day here in Portland, Oregon. I am a sunshine, warm weather girl at heart, so I am wondering how I ended up here in this place and why. Oregon is idyllic in the summer but the winters are a challenge for me. Usually it's grey and overcast outside, but this year it's snowy and cold. I'm sitting here in my office feeling uninspired and brain dead.

The weather is just one excuse for a lack of passion. Certainly, even the most passionate of women will have down days, but I know many women who struggle to stay energized regardless of the weather. I bundled up in all my warmest clothing and went out for a walk around the block. My little dog scampered along as though everything depended on this moment. The children on the corner were laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. I breathed in the cold air and my brain began to wake up.

The world is full of optimism after the American election, and everywhere I go there seems to be a feeling of positive change regardless of how people voted. I listened to NPR on the radio the week after the election and people from all walks of life and in all corners of the world were asked if they felt that just the election of Obama, was already making a big difference. Some people were a bit more pragmatic and said they would need to see what he will accomplish, but most people felt it didn't matter.

The world is certainly in a turmoil these days around the economy. It's effecting everyone but especially people over age 60 who are thinking about retirement. I work with a woman who has been in a huge fear and panic state as her life savings diminished overnight. She is barely coping and the loss seems paramount to a disaster while other people who are upset, seem to be coping more easily.

I am not a TV watcher, and in fact my small set usually lives happily in the garage, but last week I dusted it off and re-instated it to a prominent position in my living room where I was glued to the Olympics every night way past my bedtime.

Although watching team sports has always bored me, I am mesmerized watching gymnastics and diving. There is something captivating about the ability one person has to manipulate their body into incredible positions and feats of epic proportions.