Deal Or No Deal
Many of us have seen the successful show hosted here in the United States with Howie Mandel called “Deal or No Deal.” I find the show quite fascinating…it’s interesting to watch how far people are willing to go to reach the case with the top financial prize. So many try to climb that ladder, and unfortunately few succeed.
“Deal Or No Deal” kind of reminds me of another show that operated along the same premise….that show was hosted by Monty Hall and was called “Let’s Make A Deal.” That show also tested the contestants to see how far they would go before they would take the money and walk away.
So how about you? How much does it take for us as individuals to keep climbing up the ladder, letting it ride or say, “That’s as far as I want to go.” Each year we hear of many employees taking early buyouts, putting them on the fast track to retirement. Those “sweetheart deals” seem to be coming less and less these days.
In a recent conversation with a friend of mine we had a chuckle or two about the show “Deal Or No Deal.” Surprisingly, both of us would quite easily walk away within the 250 to 300 thousand dollar range. Call us “chicken,” but with each roll of the dice after that, the chances of financial windfall greatly diminish. Here’s a crazy question I have for you all out there….if someone showed up at your door with a million dollar check, and said to you, “You can have this check, if you agree to not do any more substantial work in your life. That means, all other goals are null and void.” Would you do it….would you take the check? Sounds great in theory, but it’s surprising how fast a million dollars can go through some people’s hands. Not to mention, does life get strange and boring if there are no goals to strive for? Some I know would take the money and run, while others may hesitate.
I believe the reason these shows like “Deal Or No Deal” are successful is because it forces us to think and contemplate what we would do…how far we would go before we would be willing and content to cash out. It’s a great way to examine all our wants and needs. Those weekly contestants, deep down, represent all of us, while the spotlight shines on their blessings and flaws. The people who seem to do the best on those type of shows are the ones who know what they want and need before the game begins.
Roll the dice wisely,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Chickens Come Home To Roost
We all should not be so surprised regarding the energy crisis many of us around the world are now facing. It has been a long time coming. I am old enough to remember the gas lines of the 1970’s here in the United States, and the many who lined up during those times to wait for hours to fill up their gas tanks speaking among themselves that this has to change. Fast forward thirty plus years and guess what? Very little, if not anything, on a grand scale, has changed!
Oil and gas are now higher in demand than ever before. While the Middle East pushes supply more and more, the increased supplies can no longer keep up with demands. Added to the problem is the argument of whether speculators are pushing the prices even higher. This is not really addressing the problem….what we are faced with is an addiction to oil and a rejection or stubborness to try other forms of energy. In the short term, whether we like it or not, to get to where we need to be we are going to have to adapt some form of combination of solar, wind, electric and dare I say, nuclear power. One alone will not be enough…and will take too long to get us to energy independence.
Some countries are already there….France for instance has fully adapted nuclear power. Yet a lot of us look like a bunch of bumbling fools arguing over every detail, while nothing gets done and Winter is fastly approaching. Have the chickens come home to roost? You betchya! Many are running around the hen house looking at each other saying, “What do we do? What do we do?” At the current rate of oil increases, it just may be possible that there will be some coal under the Christmas tree, with a little Spam on the dinner table. Santa Claus this year may just have to settle for half the milk and cookies!
Hey, you’ve got to laugh….I look at my car and I can slowly hear a voice saying, “Feed me!” And when I open my wallet, I hear an eerie sound croaking, “Is that all you’ve got?” No joking….many are feeling the pinch! Here in the United States the state of Utah is going to a four day work week, for the workers and the state to save on energy. I’m sure more states will follow. It is a crisis and I do believe some incredible innovation and good will come out of this, in the end. We’ve been lazy too long…there are solutions…we just have to think and be realistic. The world is growing, and so must we. The day of having one dominant force for energy is coming to an end.
Hybrid cars, electric cars, who knows what’s next? But we will look back and question why we settled for so few miles to the gallon….future generations will shake their heads and wonder why it took us so long. I still look at rooftops and say to myself, why don’t they all have solar panels? I know it’s expensive, but like everything else, as more people use them, the cost will go down. Look at the plasma television screens…remember how expensive they were at the beginning? We will innovate and we’ll obtain a more personal understanding of what powers our lives and heats our homes.
Conservation and a little innovation can do wonders. We all just have to learn in government, work, and life, to compromise.
Be energized,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Death
Imagine a place where the Light is incredibly bright but soft at the same time…where the Air you breathe in is made completely out of Love, where the Universe is laid out before you like an endless sphere of stars….where your body is there but made completely painless….where God is the Guiding Voice that gently puts the smelling salts under your nose….the place where you are finally Awake. That is Death….and that is Love.
The very thing most of us fear above all is the very thing that gives us Ultimate Peace of Mind….it is Home Base, where we return to review our Life’s Lessons….did we overcome our personal obstacles, and did we leave the world below us a bit better than before we went there? And, as we sit under the Tree of Life near the flowing waters, can we look at ourselves and say we tried our best? This is Death….and this is Judgement.
Death is the land where we can see the Heart Light in everyone….the potential of each Soul, including our own. It is the place where all fear, anger, jealousy, and hurt is evaporated….where we get back much of what many of us lost on earth, because of those feelings. Real Love is Peace. This is Death….and this is the Gift.
So why must we go through Life? Because it is the only way back to Death…the journey on the path chosen that shapes what our Souls become. The body will dissolve, but the Soul will always live on….it is this we are Loved for, Judged for, and given the Gift of Death for. Never be afraid of Death….if there is anything to fear, it is a life lived not understanding the consequences of our actions, because we will face them eventually…better to face them here, then to have to try later, from such a distance…..
Carpe Diem,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Can’t Do It All
Many people are quite good at more than one thing, yet they consistently force the issue trying to accomplish multiple tasks, when their specialty and their passion may be one. Well folks, like it or not, we can’t do it all. We may want to believe that there are more than 24 hours in a day, but unfortunately, there are not.
Pessimistic, you say? No….realistic! I myself have been told that I am a pretty good oil painter….but I know if I spent a decent amount of time at it, my music would suffer. I had to make a choice….what will come first? This is before one starts factoring in family, friends, and Life. At some stage we all have to sit down and ask ourselves not only what we want to do with our lives, but what we can reasonably accomplish.
So here’s a suggestion…when you get a chance, jot down on a few index cards, or a sheet of paper, what talents and skills you know you have. Then ask yourself, what one thing do I want to do over all the rest? Then let that one thing become your focus. It’s sad….I wish we all could be more than one person….split ourselves into multiple people and send those persons off during the day to accomplish many missions…unfortunately, it cannot be! Focusing allows us to get better at the given talent or skill we choose.
The landscape is littered with businesses and corporations that started off focusing on their niche in the marketplace. Over time, in order to expand their businesses they drifted so far from their center that their identities became blurred to the public. The latest victim of this scenario is a very famous boutique coffee chain. They tried to expand beyond their store atmosphere and coffee base to include music and multiple items and their core business began to suffer. They also tried to expand too fast, and are now setting about to correct their mistakes, which they probably will. Yet, the lesson to learn is that you can’t be everything to everyone….you can’t do it all.
Growing pains happen to everybody…still, we must try not to take our eye off the ball on what it is that we do well, and love the most.
Choose wisely,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Peace, if Possible
In the perfect world, there would be harmony and ultimate peace. It is a premise that mankind must strive for in the long term….if not, we truly will become extinct. We are put here to solve our disagreements, develop solutions to our problems, and compromise our positions. It is in the best interest for all of humanity to share all of the land, water, and resources, because in the end, the planet belongs to God. Seeing that we are all God’s children, what better way to give thanks then to live together in peace?
That being said, I am not foolish….I also believe that there are those out there who will do everything in their power to not allow community and peace to take hold. History is littered with individuals who see nothing short of themselves as God-like….dictators, ego-maniacs who have sneered, spit, and laughed at the idea of compromise. Negotiate? By all means, in good faith….but when one sits across from the table from another whose only objective is destruction and control, we are left with only one action…to walk away and prepare for battle. It baffles my mind every time why the dictators of the past see no other solution than total domination of the planet. To a monster, life is totally meaningless….the only objective is surrender and obey. Freedom? To a monstrosity, freedom does not exist. For me, I am a believer in peace, if possible, but not at any price.
Freedom too has its army….many who have sacrificed their limbs and their lives so that others can dream and breathe the free air. So many nameless souls who are buried in the ground, each one with their own story to tell. I salute you, Souls of Freedom….your memory and sacrifice will never be in vain. As long as one can dream, there will always be a need for that dream to be defended. I wish intellect and common sense could prevail in solving the world’s conflicts….yet as long as there are those who feed on conquest, freedom and democracy will have to be protected.
I will never give up hope, and I do believe that one day, all God’s children will be able to live together….and on that day we will all look back and ask why it took us so long.
Let freedom ring,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Agree to Disagree
All over the media, in many coffee shops, across various main streets, the mood and the conversation has gone full blown into politics. The three no no’s of any conversation are money, politics, and religion….a little vino added to the mix, and a get-together or fun evening can turn quite volatile. The possibility of all of us agreeing on everything is rare…so when we get together with our friends or family, how about agreeing to disagree?
The 2008 cycle on the political calendar this time seems to be more tumultuous than usual. I recently overheard a conversation where one friend said to another, “If you don’t vote for Barack Obama, I will not be able to continue being your friend.” What’s unfortunate is that they have been friends for over 40 years! The lines seem to have been drawn…there is the Hillary Camp, the Obama Camp, and the McCain Camp…each Camp digging in their heels and basically saying “It’s my way, or the highway.” It’s astonishing the level of disdain and anger that has entered the Presidential Campaign. Agree to disagree? Come the Fall, we will see how much these warring factions are willing to come together. What’s unfortunate is how much these candidates have taken over the relationships between family and friends.
Faith and religion play a large part in the direction of many people….here too the lines seem to have been drawn. A few days ago a friend of mine said to me, “Jennifer, through your website do you reach any Buddhists, Muslims or Jews?” When I replied that of course I do, I talk to people of all faiths, she gave me a strange look and said, “You know, I’m only really comfortable being around people like myself…I don’t like to venture too far off the reservation.” It’s interesting, I wish I had a dollar for every person who I saw on television telling me that if I don’t believe the way they do, I will go to hell. I would be quite a wealthy woman! Which brings us to our next topic…
Money….are you rich? Perhaps, perhaps not. I have an interesting saying to myself, after I pay all my bills and have a little to put away, that anything after that is just more “stuff.” The difference between 2 million dollars and 10 million dollars, is more STUFF. Not that I have 2 million dollars…yet! (tee hee) But quite a few out there are either invested in the stock market, or playing the lottery, or football pools. Being rich may not be such a bad idea after all….yet all I hear on the television with the pundits is “Let’s get the rich!” Keeping up with the Joneses, as the old saying goes, has become one of the ultimate art forms, among some.
Let’s see…how about the next time we have a conversation with someone who disagrees with us, before the dialogue gets too heated, change the subject, pay a compliment, or, commission the old standby….”would you like another cup of coffee?”
Be of Good Cheer,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Coming and Going
Does your life sometimes feel like a “Lifetime Hotel?” Mine too….there are constantly people, places, and things coming and going. Talk about feeling like a conveyor belt…I guess life always makes us grapple with changes.
Each year that rolls around I’m always astonished at the people who have left my life, and the new ones that have come along. Indeed, there are always those that seem to be around…but on the edges there are always the losses, and the welcomes. Even now as I speak, there are two elderly members of my family that are entering the final stages of their lives. As much as I want them to live forever, I understand that there is a time for everyone. Watching how they are coming to terms with their circumstances gives me great strength, dignity, and courage in my own life. They talk freely about how much time they have left, how they want to be remembered, and their wishes for after they are gone. This past Christmas many of my family gathered around the table laughing and joking that we were all “still here,” while out of the corners of our eyes there was a glance, wondering, would we all still be around to celebrate another holiday?
At the same time, new life entered the fold…nothing is more miraculous than seeing the shine in a newborn baby’s eyes…reminding us all what a miracle Life truly is. The children look to us for guidance, for us to show them around Life’s Hotel…the safe places to play, the rooms to avoid. As the merry-go-round of Life spins it wheel each year, it never ceases to amaze me who jumps on, and who jumps off. This time of year in the northeast of the United States, the ground, the flowers, the trees awaken with new life….ready to blossom and bring forth their rainbow, knowing full well that in the Fall, they too will fold up and go away for the Winter.
We all live on the merry-go-round….being told when we got on, and wondering when we too must jump off. The merry-go-round of Life is quite busy, while also quite peaceful. There are no real surprises….we all know that we come, and we go. What happens in-between is what it’s all about.
Enjoy the ride,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Go Manure
There was a great story a couple of nights ago on the NBC Evening News, featuring the Crave Brothers Wisconsin cheese farm. During the day while they were going about milking the cows, one of the brothers had a revelation. He thought to himself, can I turn the cow manure into energy? Lo and behold, the Crave brothers constructed a methane container where energy was created to service the farm, and 120 surrounding homes. After the process was completed, the condensed manure was cleaned and recycled back to the fields as new fertilizer. Go green? Go manure!
Now crazy as it seems, I got to thinking….with all the manure that we humans deposit in our toilets daily, why can’t we build plants where the methane created from our manure and waste be transposed to energy? Did you ever think that our contribution to the toilet bowl could end up powering our homes?? A few more stories like the one on the evening news, and I do believe some town or city is going to put this idea fully into practice.
As far as stretching gas mileage, a local television station, WBZ in the Boston area, did a fascinating report on a New England man who has invented a way for a car to get up to 150 miles per gallon with a hybrid automobile. The contraption that he demonstrated was a converter that turbo-charged the battery system in the hybrid, and gasoline was only used when the batteries got low. See, there are people out there looking at ways to solve our energy crisis.
It’s astonishing that many times the greatest inventions or ideas take place from people mucking about in their garages, or doing a job that is totally unrelated to a problem that it solves. I do believe it is only a matter of time before all of our homes will have solar panel roofs. What a waste of space right now, where energy can easily be created to power our homes. Trust me, we’ll all get used to seeing those panels on our roofs when we get our future heating and electrical bills.
We haven’t even begun to try the numerous solutions to our energy problems. With oil hovering around $110.00 a barrel, it’s only a matter of time before we start seriously considering the ways we get energy. So remember the next time you go to the bathroom, how valuable your “deposit” really is.
Go Green, Go Solar, and by all means, Go Manure!:)
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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How Much?
Over the past few months I have never received more emails than those regarding energy and health care costs. The concern and fear that people have cannot be understated. Each year if income only rises between 2 to 4 percent and energy and health care costs double that, at what point does energy and healthcare become unaffordable for the average person?
I know, I too have been to the gas pump lately, and looked at my quarterly payments to my healthcare provider. But I don’t want this essay to focus on a negative approach to these dilemmas that many of us face. We do have more power than we think….how so, you may ask? Well to start with, you have the money in your hand….just like if you were going in to purchase a car, buy a house, or get a new refrigerator….you do have the power to negotiate. How can you negotiate at the gas pump? Many wholesale merchants, like BJ’s, Sam’s Club, Walmart,and Stop & Shop, etc. have gas at facilities that give their members discounts at the pump. Also, conservation and carpooling can do wonders for the pocketbook.
How many of you out there have recently seen or received in the mail advertisements offering huge discounts on selected items? Hey, it’s on the television everywhere that we must be in a recession….this doesn’t escape or go over the heads of retail chains that have to meet their payroll and bottom line each week. If you have the money, you can negotiate for a better price on just about anything. If you go into a store, don’t necessarily accept the price that you see on an item….many times the salesperson or owner are quite happy to give a discount to close a sale.
And last but not least…healthcare. How many of us out there, before we go to a doctor or dentist, ask them, when possible, how much their service costs? Unfortunately, quite often we walk in with a blank check, freely accepting whatever the price. More and more healthcare insurance companies, each year, decrease what they are willing to pay for our healthcare visits. I have been told by my insurer that whenever possible, I am to call them before I go to any practitioner, so that I fully understand what is and what is not covered. An emergency is an emergency….and in those cases one does not have the luxury…but overall, as long as we hold money in our hands, we do have a right to say, “how much?”
There are so many other issues that each individual grapples with daily. These are just the tip of the iceberg, but many of us out there, overall, are extremely concerned about runaway costs. We do have the power….we are not alone….and just about everything can be negotiated more than we think.
Spend wisely,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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Reminisce
Is it healthy for a prolonged period of time to look at and fixate on the past? As much as we may have wonderful memories, and as fully we may have enjoyed them, each day they do move further and further away. Reminisce, yes indeed, but never forget that right in front of you lies a clean sheet of paper which will hold a story yet to be written.
I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine where every five years she attends her high school reunions. She explained to me that the first time it was wonderful to catch up with old friends and reminisce about the good times, and acknowledge a tear or two. She then went on to say that after a while these reunions started to become painful. It was always a question of who would show up or who wouldn’t….she concluded that she was fully aware that she couldn’t truly go back, yet looked upon the good old days as a foundation for what was to come. We all get older each day….the trick is to improve and find a little peace and contentment.
Favorite songs, favorite movies, enjoyable vacations, your first car….all of these things are not there to show us that the good times are all behind us, but perhaps the best may be yet to come. Our faces may change in the mirror over time, but do we truly want to stay at 16 forever? Do we want our lives to stay in a holding pattern? Or is it really acceptable for cobwebs to sprout up around us? The only way for these things to not happen is for time and change to occur. For sure, when we look back we may agree that one decade may have been better than another, but overall was yesterday just there to show us tomorrow?
I recently thought about the places I have lived in the past. Overall, I enjoyed every one of them, for different reasons. Still, there must be a reason why I no longer live there. If our lives add up to an incredible book, then there must be chapters…each chapter being a different stage and part of our lives. I do enjoy looking back and visiting the past from time to time….but it never slips my mind what wonders the future may hold.
Life is full of comings and goings….it will probably always be that way until the day we die. We can only imagine what story this planet will tell, when its life is over.
Seize the sunrise,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2008 Jennifer Avalon
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