Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
The Great Shift is ultimately about giving up pretenses concerning business as usual – things are not the way they once were. This country has been in a state of denial for at least five solid years. Obama was elected as a way out; actually his being elected was a gigantic symptom of this denial. Let’s elect a pop rock political mega-star and all will be well. It’s the 60s again!
Did anybody REALLY hear what Obama was saying?
America – you are gonna have to give up things, cut back, learn to live with less; we are in a real mess and it is going to take decades to reverse all this – and even then, don’t look for it all to be “the same.”
That era was false. A complex bleep in a fantasy world.
In many ways, we all face the king’s decree: we each get half the child. The American Dream is just that – a dream. Being unemployed, dealing with primal losses, and now, a mother who is struggling to figure out where she is and who she is each day is humbling:
- For all practical purposes, both my mom and I are homeless. Having worked in the homeless biz, I am not so surprised by this. Most of us are only a paycheck away from being in this boat. Be careful – YOU could be next!
- Trying to find work is trying under the best of circumstances. A reader of mine recently wrote: There’s nothing about the process of job hunting that’s not excruciating. Given my situation (and I am NOT asking for the violins to play), it is nearly impossible.
- I really cannot win. If I get a job in the Midwest, I leave behind dear friends but gain family. If I get a job in Seattle, I am stuck in a city I no longer wish to be in. Though friends will mitigate this conundrum, no family. If I get a job in some other part of the USA I am alone. Just me, my cats and piano – starting over at 52. I can do it; but the thought of it scares me. The “double-binds” in all this could lead to a breakdown. I am already facing a massive loss of spirit and energy; why not let the mind go as well? I am also looking at the loss of my mom each and every day. She seems to slip further and further into some form of gentle madness. Ouch.
- We really, truly, only have the moment. This is being force-fed to me. It is good medicine. But oh my friends, the pill is bitter. I have also lost track of “time for me” – especially being here for my mom. This is reaching dangerous proportions; I am not sure what to do to turn this around.
- I am blessed with some mighty fine friends and a really fantastic family. I have no idea how other people “in my shoes” get by. I could not be doing as well as I am doing without a handful of friends that are sticking the course with me, a family that is so helpful and understanding I can’t believe it! (LOL! Like any family we have had lots up ups and downs, but this whole fucking mess is bringing us closer together.) I also enjoy the support and compassion of a therapist and a coach. I WOULD be nuts without these two gurus. But my family, I love them deeply, is really at the core of whatever might be sane in my current spin in life. Ah, life, lemons and lemonade. Lots of truth in this, especially when one is living one hell of a lemon.
Oh, by the way – the story has a happy ending. I hope mine does as well.
The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
SJA
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