Discovering Roses in the Dust

The lawn-green pickup truck alongside me in traffic caught my attention. Stopped me cold then warmed my imagination. The bed of the pickup carried several rose bushes with blooms ablaze with coral pink. The driver and the passenger waded through traffic, apparently oblivious to the loveliness tossed over gardening tools.

The image stuck with me. It's incredibly easy to ignore moments of beauty, especially those blooms that fiercely emerge from the dust of difficulty. If allowed to, pain distorts reality; it hides gifts packaged with the ribbons of trouble. That's how I see this economic recession -- among its gifts is the opportunity to discover true riches.

While everyone assesses President Obama's performance during his first 100 days in office beneath the shadow of a recession, I'm examining me. When the Expected Economic Turnaround eventually comes, will I be changed?

Like everyone else, I have charged Wall Street with being a cauldron of insatiable greed. I've griped about many businesses profiting from the labor of workers yet wreaking chronic heartache among those same workers and their families through short-sighted leadership and widespread layoffs. I've mourned how companies often prefer the corporate status quo but fear the risk of innovation.

Pointing fingers at the avaricious hustle of some corporations is a no-brainer. Harder to acknowledge is the monster of mammonI must slay within me. Do I use money to preen before the Joneses? Do I withhold money when I should cheerfully give it away? Is my "compassion" poisoned with arrogance? How do I handle being on the receiving end instead of the giving end?

Such introspection can be hard, but my friends and I intentionally talk with this kind of candor. We want to wring an abundance of wisdom from this downturn.

We don't want to forget ruefully confessing our financial sins during Dave Ramseyclasses, being among the crowds shopping for bargains at Wal-Mart, saving coins instead of letting them collect around the house, selling books and holding garage sales to make extra money, and experiencing our fair share of sleepless nights.

The struggle can't be forgotten. Why squander its gifts? Our ultimate goal is obtaining true riches. We want to be about people and become better people ourselves. This current recession is a critical transition point, a treacherous passageway that will be navigated by insight or folly. We are resolved to master the transition wisely.

We talk about giving more, dreaming more, doing more, being more. One of my friends who just finished her MBA says she will share what she learned with all her buddies who need it. Graduation day will not be just about her personal victory. It will be about her commitment to give back.

Another friend is stretched to the financial limit but helps other entrepreneurs achieve their goals. For her, selfishness is not an option, whether living in plenty or grappling with lack.

Both of these women have demonstrated the power of collaboration and sacrifice, which reflects an understanding of the riches that actually matter.

During this recession, my friends and I constantly search for our roses in the dust. Once found, we refuse to carelessly toss them aside like those bushes in the lawn-green pickup truck -- their beauty unseen and their fragrance unknown.

Filed Under: Woman Up
Tagged: economy business, EconomyBusiness, obama 100 days recession daveramsey walmart, Obama100DaysRecessionDaveramseyWalmart, women businesses, WomenBusinesses