Well, a new year has begun. One with new beginnings and hopes and dreams. I was listening to a radio talk show on New Year's Day evening, and the guest host, who is a zodiac specialist, claims that 2008 is going to be a year where most are going to be getting "back to the basics" of paying closer attention to the pocket book, family and community. She went on to say that we, as a nation, are going to be a lot more introspective. Boy, do we need that right now. Also, according to the Chinese calendar, we are in the year of the rat. This could mean that most of us are going to be in survival mode, and will focus more on uniting around issues are primary to our survival as a species. For those of us in the U.S., it makes perfect sense, as we're in a high-stakes, election year.

Though I find the astrological arts interesting, I do not give too much credence to it. However, it is perfectly believable that most people, particularly North Americans, after seeing their incomes shrink, their homes devalued and -- in some cases -- their homes taken away, their food being recalled time after time, despite the cost increasing -- most of us will be forced to really watch our spending and return to the simpler things in life, such as, family and friends. This is where our passions and our attention should have been in the first place. Sometimes it takes shifts -- economic, astrological and otherwise -- to refocus our attention where it matters most.

Let's hope that this introspection is fruitful.