When I ripped open my American Express bill this week I was shocked. The balance owing was much higher then it has been in the past. As I scanned the list of purchases I began to realize that my spending didn’t change rather the cost of my purchases increased.

You see I put all of my gas charges on my credit card. It’s easier for me to track for bookkeeping purposes. With the recent jump in fuel costs my purchases are up dramatically. Thus the high balance on my bill.

I know that regardless where you live in the world you too are feeling the effects of higher prices at the pumps. Ugh, it can be quite discouraging but we do have choice on how we respond to the rise in fuel costs.

We can grumble and moan about it. We can go into fear and cut back on driving or making other purchases in our lives. We can focus on the profits of oil companies with anger, talk about government conspiracy theories and complain about governments not addressing the issue effectively. This is a choice. A choice that will harness negative, angry, frustrated, fearful energy and bring to you more people, situations and experiences to complain about.

Or we can choose another point of view. While higher gas prices may encourage many of us to stay put and not travel great distances, there is a blessing to this effect. We are then encouraged to stay local, explore our neighborhoods, buy locally supporting our cities and towns economies. By sticking around home we will get to know more about the place we live and the people who comprise our towns.

We can open our eyes to what is right in front of us and what we have been missing because we always head into the “Big City,” or some other destination.  A greater sense of community may arise. A strengthening of local connectivity and support will develop. A love of where we live will blossom. The possibility of greater unity abounds.

I’m not trying to be all pie in the sky here. Just like you I too don’t like the price of gas these days, but I do know I have choice as to how I respond to the situation.

Where we live matters. It is our hood, our people, our community, our support system. Sky rocketing gas prices may keep you at home more often then before, but instead of grumbling about it, how about choosing to look at it as a blessing in disguise. A part of our spiritual evolution process to more love, respect, acceptance and consciousness in the world.

~Love, Esther