Note To The Class of '09: Keep Your Head Up

I've been listening to radio and television casts about the demise of recent high school and college graduates not finding any work thanks to the recession. Of course it's hard to feel too sorry for a twenty-something, straight out of college that has never even had the pleasure of a job to get laid off from, when seasoned veterans twice their age have just run out of unemployment dough.

Here's something I would want someone to let me know if I was once again in their shoes, as I was during the 1991 recession:

• Stay with your parents and save every dime you can, for as long as you can

• The time to take risks, is when you don't have a spouse and children that rely on you

• This too shall pass

• Use this time to discover what it means to have a "good work ethic"

• You have a lot of latitude (read: margin of error) in your twenties you won't have later in life, use it.

Sotomayor

It's funny. Just when you think the GOP can't receive any more drama, Obama pulls a Sotomayor. I already want to get a t-shirt and begin chanting, "si se puede!" Seriously though, to say the GOP is in trouble would be an understatement. The good news is that here is an opportunity to dispel the notion that the GOP is the party of "no."

More Than Half Way There

Today is day-fourteen with the A Complaint Free World.org bracelet. My wife took hers off a few days ago. It's clear that (for me) the first two days were always the hardest. That's why it took soooo long to get past those first two days.

I've definitely noticed a difference in my life and marriage as I find myself two-thirds of the way to victory. I finding it easier to let go of slights. I'm more forgiving of slights. I'm better at not calling out those closest to me on their infractions. Even when all the aforementioned are factual and not merely perceived.

There's a certain freedom in this. I feel less responsible for everything going well, every day. I feel like I can just go with the flow.

You Reap What You Sow

A cousin of mine reminded me of something I had sown a long time ago, that I just reaped yesterday. You may forget but God never does. Thank you cuz.

And On The Seventh Day

Day seven. The A Complaint Free World.org bracelet is still on the same wrist.

Fruganomics

The Web is a funny place. I started out browsing on "The New Frugality" based on a Time Magazine's cover by the same caption, and I ended up at Your Money or Your Life. Along the way I read scores of reader's comments regarding their take on what being frugal meant to them.

What I learned is that, a lot of people confuse being cheap with being frugal. From what I read, most of the people who thought they were being frugal were (technically) really being cheap. This isn't a judgment, just an observation that is important to clarify.

Change Your Atmosphere

Today in church I was in a bit of an odd mood. We were late again, and I wasn't too crazy about that. However the bishop's son was preaching and that immediately lifted my mood. I hadn't heard him preach in a while, so it was good to have him back.

His sermon was about how to be aware of atmospheres and their potential power over us (my inference). In these economically trying times, it's...now let's stop right there. Read the beginning of that last sentence. Think about how it made you feel. Now, you had one of two (group) reactions. You may have thought, oh yeah, I'm still on unemployment and I'm hanging on. Or perhaps you may have thought, yeah it's rough for some people, but I'm doing okay.

My point is that if you watch (or listen to) CNN all day, you maybe begin to feel as if the world is ending. To be sure, this recession is real to a lot of people, myself included. Still, recession or not, you either have cash flow problems, or you don't. If you don't...then this may be academic for you. If you do, then you'll have to figure out how to improve you're cash flow. There are tons of sites and books on how to do that, and that's beyond the scope of this post.

What the pastor reminded me of, was the need to BE AWARE of the atmosphere we are in and it's affect it has on us. It's a lot easier to resolve the issues of our times if we seek atmospheres that build us up, rather than tear us down. Do whatever you must to make sure your daily atmosphere is as positively charged as possible.