Dr. Dixie van de Flier Davis
Fear
It seems to me that everyone wants to talk about the downturn in the economy. Strangers, family members, news commentators, seat mates on the airplane. They can’t help themselves. They just have to talk about it.
I think that everything there is to be said has been said by now. Probably several times. Once said, the remarks are analyzed and dissected and explained. Blame is dolled out and alarms are rung.
Sitting in a meeting with people from several nonprofit organizations this morning, I found myself wanting to listen behind the words to the emotional impact this is having on people. I heard a lot of fear. Someone listed the bad things that are about to happen. Yikes! She warned us. Then she repeated the warning. Everyone in the room looked like they had a headache or stiff neck.
My mind flashed back to something I’d heard someone say several years ago: Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives us something to do; but it doesn’t get us anywhere.
I wanted to jump up in the middle of the muddle and shout, “Let’s get out of our rocking chairs and do something!”
This isn’t the time to let fear take over. Now more than ever the children need our commitment to give them families. Frightened about the future? Imagine facing it completely alone and without the skills to navigate. Adolescents who are about to emancipate from foster care need the security of family now more than ever.
The good news is that when things are tough, it’s a good time to experiment. Almost anything we do will be better than what we’re hearing about on the news. So why not get out there and try?
Don’t have a dollar? Give fifty cents. Tight on money? Volunteer. Afraid to try? Do it anyway.
Someone reading this will say that I’m naive, and you’re right. That’s by choice. People have often told me that what we’re about to do at The Adoption Exchange couldn’t be done. I’ve always thought, “Don’t tell me what can’t be done. Tell me where the potholes are, and I’ll work hard to avoid hitting them. Then go frighten someone else.”
Naïveté beats the alternative. I am going to keep on looking for the generous side of humanity. The creative moments. The courageous.
About a year ago Warren Buffet said that we will survive this recession the same way we have survived other problems.
That gives me hope – not in the economy, but in us. If we get out of our rocking chairs and do what we usually do, we’ll do just fine. Survive. Thrive, even.
More Children In Foster System Find Homes.
CBS 4 / Dr. Dixie van de Flier Davis
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