The little things, Part II

As I read the morning news from America, I am reminded again how lucky my wife and I are to be in the situation we are: a paid for residence, and our only bills our the living expenses and amenities we choose to pursue. Coupled with the fact that even in the face of a global recession and economic meltdown, we both have steady part-time work that--should we choose to make it so--could easily be transferred to full-time.

I cringe every time I hear about a family where one of the spouses suddenly loses their job, or finds their hours reduced by 10 per week, or their per hour rate cut by 5 dollars an hour. It may not sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but 200-300 dollars a month is a lot of money for some people. That's a grocery bill for the month, or several utility bills. I see people regularly commenting on how they are trading nights out with friends for nights in with friends, playing board games or just watching TV. People who have to make a conscious choice between paying a utility bill, putting gas in the car to get to work, or buying groceries for their kids.

My sister is one of those people who has cut down her out-and-about time and mostly stays home anymore with her boyfriend, simply because it's too expensive to go do anything anymore.

I don't know where the government gets off trying to say that "America's economy is on the rise!" when every month half a million+ lose their jobs, and the unemployment rates continue to rise. They are expected to hit 9% by the end of May, and experts are saying that there still isn't an end in sight.

You should be grateful for the little things. Be grateful for your health, because it saves you from having to pay a hefty doctor's visit (one of the reasons I love living over here...socialized health-care = booya!). Be grateful your car runs and hasn't broken down, because a 500+ dollar repair bill will break the backs of most American families right now. Be grateful that you still have a job, even if it's 30 hours a week down from 40, because you still have benefits that go along with that job. Be grateful for all of those little things.

I'm grateful for a supportive wife who allowed me the opportunity to delve into writing for a living last year. She had known it was a dream of mine for a long time, but I was always so busy working to pay the bills that I never had time for it. She gave me the time, and I turned it around into a successful career, despite my lack of formal education. My stories are selling, my work is regularly being published, and I haven't had to look for work in 5 months.

I'm grateful that we were able to escape relatively unscathed from the recession. Sure, we live in a developing country, which can be rough on someone who is used to the States, but it's a living, which is a lot more than many other families can say. We don't have to stress about 2k a month per person in bills, because the cost of living here is 3 times lower than what it is in America. I'm grateful for that, absolutely.

I'm grateful for my health, my house, my wife, my job, my eyesight, and my abilities. Especially my wife, because she is the one who backed my play, and allowed me the opportunity to take the plunge. Thankfully I'm a good swimmer, and I was able to justify her trust in me.

What are you grateful for?

(My heart goes out to anyone who finds themselves in a dire situation as a result of the global crisis. It's going to get worse before it gets better, and I honestly hope that everyone can find their own way of making it through the rising tides.)