Every Cloud Has Its Silver Lining

The economic situation has everyone in a dither. I know so many are really suffering and so many have lost their jobs and my heart aches for them. I feel so badly for the families with children and the elderly and infirmed especially. This is what I find interesting...

Everyone is freaking out because President Obama hasn't fixed it in his first 100 days. Some people really are stupid funny, aren't they? We expect instant everything in this country. We have got a crock pot problem and people wanting a microwave solution. We've watched too much TV apparently, where things become problems and are solved in an hour with 20 minutes worth of intermittent commercial breaks. That is just not reality, folks, but half of America seems to think we are almost over this economic crisis!

I am no economist, but I have a feeling we are in this for the long haul. There is no instant fix this time. We could talk for hours about why it happened, how we got here, what we can do about, etc. and we still have to wait it out, improve our personal financial responsibility and integrity and learn from our mistakes.

It has been said that every cloud has a silver lining and these are the silver bits we have noticed from this economic crisis.


Most are more aware of how, when and where they spend their money.

People seems to be taking saving $ more seriously. They are also thinking about stocking up on the essentials, and staying out of debt.

Couples and families are talking about $ more and making decisions together about how they do business.

We are wasting less in all areas, our garbage cans are not nearly as full as they use to be.

Families are being creative in the way they spend more time and less money together.

Government, corporations, companies and small businesses are coming up with better ways of cutting the fat.

People are repurposing things, renovating, and donating more things that others might be able to use.

People are learning new skills and trying to be more self-sufficient.

People are planning and prioritizing like never before.

People are sharing more with those in need and trying to help those out of work.

Services in some retails businesses have increased significantly almost over night.

It could be that people just want to keep their jobs, but it is nice to see them going the extra mile.

Today in a paint store a clerk wanted to carry a gallon of paint out to my car for me. (what??) When I assured her I could do it, she said fine and then ran and opened the door for me. In a hardware store I asked someone about paint rollers and then I needed some halogen bulbs. She directed me to the electrical department and called another sales person to meet me there. Hello! This is fantastic! There is no way, in you know where, that would have happened a year ago.

And lastly, I think it's great that maybe we will be raising a new generation of kids that have less of a claim on their entitlement to have everything they have ever wanted, without putting out any blood, sweat and tears of their own. And hopefully they will be learning it from their parents and grandparents~by example....finally. If that occurs it will cut our losses in half.