Being quiet, stayin' still

I read on CNN.com that 5.1 million jobs have been lost since the beginning of 2008.  That is an incredible amount of jobs.  I can't even comprehend how many people that's affecting.  On the flip-side, my friend Derek just turned DOWN three jobs because he already accepted a kick ass 'forest fire fighter' position for this summer.  I guess it's nice to be an able-bodied twenty-something male who wants to work a dangerous job. 

But what's neat for everyone is now that the job market is not really the place to be, maybe more people will join Americorps, the Peace Corps, or Green Peace -- organizations that inadvertently instill goodness, humility, and the drive to "help" into their members.  With a new sensitivity and world view, these folks can be fed back into the job market.  Then they, along with the creative innovators of the the next generation, will propel the whole world into a future that is based in humanity and not economy.  Nations will be connected by the humans that inhabit them perhaps more than the money they possess.  Wouldn't that be neat?  So cool to have such an obvious opportunity for change.  It's impossible to Not take advantage.

But here on the other side of the world, it's hard to Feel the hardship.  I'm lucky because I can step back and see the big picture without having to worry about losing my job.  MY job is to teach tiny French five-year-olds English.  I sing and play and I am repetitive as hell to drive in some vocab.  MY job hugs me, begs to hold my hand, literally and figuratively looks up to me, and laughs, like really laughs.  My job description is Simon Says.  I'm a lucky bugger, for shiz-nit.  

It all just makes me feel like it's a good thing to just stand in the dirt and look around at the things that are flying and buzzing and changing around.  I think when you can see what is changing, you can just move, instead of flying up into all the gears that make you feel small and out of control.  Either way, you can only control what's inside you anyway.  No sense in getting stressed out trying to go up flying with the rest of them.