Wipe the slate clean, it's time for a fresh start. As 2009 dawns, each of us can look forward to new beginnings.
Economic issues are on most American minds, justifiably enough. If we still have our jobs, let's be grateful for them and work hard to keep them. For the many of us who are suffering the misfortune of unemployment, try to stay positive. What's that adage? Tough times don't last, tough people do. This country has been through much worse.
Heck, I've been through much worse. I remember the early '80s recession, with 16% interest rates right after New Year, 1982. Pete and I had just bought our first home, he was in construction and all his jobs fell through right after we closed escrow on Jan. 5. I wasn't back in the workforce yet, having young children at home. So we had a brand new mortgage and no income for a brief and scary time, until I found a job in the spring. Construction, always hard hit in bad times, didn't pick up until the fall. When I read the stories of today's struggling young families, I nod in sympathy. I understand their fears and worries completely.
Yet my family managed to survive that difficult time, even to thrive eventually. There's a reason we are given one day at a time; it's really all we can handle, isn't it? Especially in a rough financial time like the current one. So I resolve to live my New Year each day as it comes, with the knowledge that, whatever tomorrow may bring, I'll find a way to deal with it.
New Year's Day is a reminder that every day is a gift in itself. There are 365 fresh starts stretching ahead of us. Let's make the most of them.
Happy New Year to all.
