a thought for our present

The most recent issue of Time magazine included a feature on how ordinary Americans are dealing with, affected by, and reacting to the economic downturn. I really appreciated the opening article (by Nancy Gibbs) for the spread, and especially this part of it:

"No one wishes for hardship. But as we pick through the economic rubble, we may find that our riches have buried our treasures. Money does not buy happiness; Scripture asserts this, research confirms it. Once you reach the median level of income, roughly $50,000 a year, wealth and contentment go their separate ways, and studies find that a millionaire is no more likely to be happy than someone earning one-twentieth as much. Now a third of people polled say they are spending more time with family and friends, and nearly four times as many people say their relations with their kids have gotten better during this crisis than say they have gotten worse.

A consumer culture invites us to want more than we can ever have; a culture of thrift invites us to be grateful for whatever we can get. So we pass the time by tending our gardens and patching our safety nets and debating whether, years from now, this season will be remembered for what we lost, or all that we found."

what did i say?!

Wednesday, April 15, 10:00am MST

...after a particularly taxing romp at the park.

Today at 3:30pm MST:

....and it's still carrying on.

drip drip drop

I'm just asking for trouble even mentioning this, because on Easter Sunday last year we woke up to four inches of snow on the ground. But I am really in the mood for some spring rain, and this has been stuck in my brain all day:


on a side note, I think the older Disney movies have a touch of loveliness to the animation that just isn't around any more.

just how good we have it

Well, I'm now a blog plagiarist/thief.

But I find these two distinctly different voices to echo the same sentiment, in interesting ways.

One is Dooce's most recent post about the to-vaccinate-or-not-to-vaccinate debate, and particularly her observation of vaccines as a first-world luxury. (dooce.com)

The other is a comedian's take on some widespread American attitudes. (first posted on my friend Lauren's blog)

Both gave me a lot to mull over.