As we watched the President’s State of the Union address last night, I was inspired by the idea of reinvigorating our nation. Before you accuse me of wearing rose-colored glasses, I am a realist and am fully aware of the issues we currently face as a nation. I do, however, think we have lost touch with what is really important. We care more about what kind of cars we drive, having the biggest television and buying the latest and greatest product or statement. We think new is better and bought beyond our means as a nation. We had become more focused on ourselves and what we could buy than on supporting one another and being part of something bigger than ourselves. In our efforts to reward ourselves for hard earned dollars or being successful, we have isolated ourselves from one another. We have deserted established neighborhoods and cities for mcmansions and 4-car garages. We have pushed local farms out to build tracts of new homes, and now have to have milk shipped in from far away. We traded pedestrian-friendly downtown retail communities for sprawling malls on the outskirts of town, so that we can conveniently park in a huge lot instead of walking a little. We travel in our cars and don’t have to talk to anyone. We move every few years and live far from our families. In our efforts to define our independence and success, we have become more isolated as human beings.

I say it all the time, but I think it all begins in our own neighborhoods

I think the economic crisis has been a wake-up call for many of us. There has been a huge wave of people who have decided to clarify what is important to them. They have decided to take on their personal debt, realizing that only they are responsible for themselves. Dealing with the reality of a real estate bubble that popped, many have decided to stay put in their homes instead of constantly upgrading. And we are depending upon family and friends again as we work together to get through the recession.

I am proud of and believe in the American spirit and am optimistic about who we are. Even prior to the economic meltdown, there were already big movements to support local farms, revive community gardens, shop locally, make communities more pedestrian-friendly and reduce our dependency on oil. I think we have a huge opportunity right now as a nation to shift gears and redefine what is important. On a macro-level we need to focus on rebuilding our national infrastructure and creating energy sources that are sustainable, if we are to continue to be the strong nation that we are. On a micro-level, we need to evaluate how we want to live our daily lives in a way that can make us happy and can sustain the planet. I say it all the time, but I think it all begins in our own neighborhoods. If we support one another at that level, it will have a ripple effect on our communities, cities, states and the nation. That modest beginning will allow us, as President Obama said last night, to do big things.