Hi friends, colleagues and enthusiasts!

It’s Christmas and what a year!
The global economy went bung
The US elected Obama

We learned that the most affluent countries would need 2-5 planets to
retain their current economic growth by 2020 and of course we all only
have 1 so that means just about all we ever knew of ‘future’ based on
the affluence of pre 2008 has just developed the biggest question mark
of all time over it.

We learned to question how much we waste, to question greed and
materialism, to question how many cows and sheep and chickens and fish
we eat and to question the Gen Y culture of big bucks Merry Cashmas and
gimme-gimme.

People went broke, lost jobs, houses, and the news kept setting up a
duel between global economic crisis and the global warming crises as if
we have a choice.

But somehow maybe we also began to get over ourselves a little.
We could imagine that any of our countries could be like those we often
pitied and threw spare change at.

It’s not a miserable Christmas but it’s a reflective one.
Our differences start to matter less than how we can band together and
help each other especially as even the charities go broke.
But all is not money.
Knowlege, action, even recycled and more innovative use and pooling of
resources (physical, emotional, intellectual) could really take us places.
But first we may need to consider that the days of handouts may be numbered.

I know maybe 3/4s of the autism related and just life related strategies
that have helped me and those I’ve worked with as a consultant cost
little or nothing.  And that’s magic and we can all find it if we stop
going for the lazy choices of one-size-fits-all rubber-stamped,
ready-made, off the shelf strategies and ideas.

I wish you all innovation, creativity, open mindedness and open hearts
as you learn to gather with each other, combine resources and be the
change you wish to see.

And for those of you wanting a little light hearted Donna-isms, here’s a
buzzy you tube clip I made last Christmas.  Enjoy.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=GEdOHX6eHdg

Warmly,

Donna Williams
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.auties.org
http://www.myspace.com/donnaandtheaspinauts