Looking for shadows or finding the light?
Posted By Dana Delworth on February 3, 2009
Happy February and once again, for some reason, a portion of our country turns to the whims of a Marmota monax, also known as the woodchuck, land beaver or whistlepig (my personal favorite). This animal is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.
I personally have no familiarity with them any other time of the year (but oh, you should ask me about nutria sometime), but along with everyone else, I am curious as to whether or not Punxatawny Phil sees his shadow on the morning of February 2. This year, we’re told, Phil saw the shadow and the nation heaved their collective shoulders in anticipation of six more weeks of winter. Oh, well.
The current economic situation and the varied responses reminded me a lot of yesterday’s (non) event in Pennsylvania. There is a fine line between doing what you’re told and being told what you’re expected to do in almost any situation. Someone holding an enormous rat-thing yesterday took a look around, decided he saw a shadow, and told everybody to get ready to be cold. He could have handed the rat-thing to another person that may have been standing at a slightly different angle and they could have seen no shadow, taken off their parka, and scampered around with impunity. Regardless, we all heard at some point and time yesterday from someone that we should just get used to being cold for a bit more, right?
Conversely, you can look at today’s Dow Jones Index, the job reports, the foreclosure percentages - do it right now if you want - and then, with very little effort, find very different multiple interpretations online or with your remote control. It has, for better or worse, become a matter of professional pronouncement as to where we stand as a nation, a state, a city, rather than what we see ourselves.
Our corner of the world seems to be adjusting, making changes, offering alternatives, and turning just enough to stay out of our own shadow. But maybe that’s just the way I’m looking at it. From my perspective as a closing agent, I see hope, resolution, and perseverance every day and I like the view.
Leave a Reply