Upsides to the Down Economy/ Horror Stories

So now, in time for Halloween, are Horror Stories from the down recession. These are true stories (I think) with the names omitted to protect the innocent.

• Horror Story#1 A man sells his profitable business for a million bucks and plans on living off the interest. He makes enough to live comfortably for a while, until interest rates go south and then he can't make it. He goes back to work at his business, under the new owners. He now works at his old job at his old business, under "bosses" that are half his age and micro manage his every move. Scary!
• Horror Story #2 A well-known businessman who owns a chain of sports bar restaurants gets "in trouble" for permitting gambling in his establishment. After he returns from his unplanned "vacation" he needs to find employment. He now works, as a cook in the kitchen of his chief competitor's sports bar restaurant.
  
• Horror Story #3 A friend of mine who is a writer/editor with her Master's in P.R., has lost some of her writing gigs, so she's decided to sell designer handbags/clothes on E-bay. She actually enjoys it and has, so far, been quite successful.

Since this "Upsides to the Down Economy", the last story may be the upside. When you lose your job or your hours are cut back, this may be your opportunity to try something new. You may actually find something you love doing, are good at, that you never would have dreamed doing before. Maybe you will pursue this, instead of your old career, or when the economy recovers, use it as a supplement to your income. People today have to be creative and inventive in order to survive. But, as Americans, this is what we do. So here on Halloween, don't duck under the covers and Boo Hoo. Get out there and do something, anything to further your dream. You never know where it might lead.

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Rainy Days

Most of us have never suffered through the harsh economic climate we are now faced to deal with. Double-digit unemployment, real estate market in the toilet, banks who've been bailed out who now won't lend to anyone. It's depressing. When our parents or grandparents talked about the Depression, it was hard to relate to the devastation and impact that period of time had on them. My grandmother Julia, born in 1918, was a child of the Depression. She hated bouquets of flowers for her birthday because they were wasteful, rarely ate out, re-used whatever she could and saved everything. I know this because when she died, I inherited her house and had to go through everything. Receipts for items long gone, photographs given to her by others (she didn't own a camera), newspaper clippings, holy cards, homemade gifts from her grandchildren and, of course, every greeting card that had ever been given to her for any occasion. This was probably the most fun item to go through. She and my Aunt Josie passed back and forth a birthday card for probably 10 years, just signing their name and the date, so they wouldn't have to waste money on a new card. While she was frugal to a degree, she also had a lovely house filled with quality items, took nice vacations, gave generous gifts and always had a little money stashed away. So that's one good thing about this recession- Americans are now saving more than they ever have in the past. Because now we know what a rainy day looks like.

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Reusable Bags II

Update on reusable bags. Just got back from CVS and if you buy a little reward card for 99 cents and attach it to your reusable bag, you get $1 every fourth time you use it for purchases. I think I like the getting-money-back plan, better than the-charging-you for bags plan. Yeah USA!

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Recyclable Bags

Went to my favorite store (Target) yesterday and brought a couple of reusable bags with me. To my delight, the cashier informed me that if you bring in your own bags, you get 5 cents off per bag. So, not only am I saving the environment, I'm saving money! You can't beat that. When I was in Italy this summer, we went shopping at a local grocery store for dinner that night. As we went to pay, the cashier kept trying to explain something to us (in Italian) that we didn't understand. We finally figured out that we were being charged for the plastic bags to carry out the groceries in. Maybe, if we started doing that over here it would be a good incentive to remember the recyclable bags. I always try to keep a couple in the trunk for unexpected stops. If you forget yours, you can usually buy one at the store you're shopping at. They're usually only 99 cents and I find you can never have too many. As Martha would say, "It's a Good Thing."

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Pray

Pray. Okay, you can eat and love too, but the very act of prayer gives comfort and hope. When I feel I have no control over my life, when I feel powerless and helpless, I pray. Since I was raised Roman Catholic, I've been saying a lot of Hail Mary's lately. It's a mantra that soothes me in uncertain times. I also have a fool-proof Little Flower Novena (a prayer for nine days) to St. Theresa that I seem to be saying on a constant basis for different people and causes. Even if my prayers aren't "answered", I get something just from the act of praying. I try to do it first thing in the morning, to put my priorities in order. When my grandmother died and I moved into her house, I found a stack of prayers to different saints tucked away in her nightstand, right next to her "exercises to be done in bed". You always knew you were in trouble if she prayed to St. Jude for you. (St. Jude is the patron saint of impossible causes.) She was praying to St. Michael for Cancer patients (my Dad) at the time she died. Of course you don't have to be Catholic or any particular religion to pray. Thank you is quite a nice (and easy) prayer.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes on prayer:

"Pray and let God worry." Martin Luther

"Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays." Soren Kierekegaard

Upsides to the Down Economy/ The Bucket List

I've heard people talking lately about their Bucket Lists- you know, the things you want to do before you kick it. Maybe, it's becoming more relevant because, when things get tough, we tend to focus on what's important to us. Or maybe we just want something to look forward to- to keep our spirits up on days when life throws us a curve ball. I got to check off one of the items on my BL list this year that I'd hope to do since high school. Surf! Went to my sister Elise's beach house during Spring Break and took a surfing lesson in Cocoa Beach (where Major Nelson lives with Jeannie). Getting up on the surfboard and "catching a wave" (even a small one) was as fun as I'd always imagined it would be. The Beach Boys weren't kidding- I was "sittin' on top of the world" at that moment in time. Now, I just have to visit all 50 states ( I have 17 left to go), read the Bible and sell a screenplay. What's on your Bucket List? Is it the same as it was ten years ago? Have you checked anything off? Maybe it's time to revise, renew and pursue it. Mazel tov!

Upsides to the Down Economy/ A Priceless Gift

Yesterday, I gathered at my Aunt Josie's house with my sisters to a take a photo to accompany an article I wrote about her for The Miami Herald's Miami Stories. Although Josie said to the photographer "You're not going to use all the stuff she wrote, are you? Some of its just stupid!", I thought it was important to write the history of how she (and my grandmother and aunts) came to Miami. My great grandfather started the first Italian restaurant in Miami and my grandfather (with his mother and my grandmother) started the first nursing home here. At the Pinecrest Library the other day, the librarian talked about an upcoming speaker who was going to teach children how to write down questions for their grandparents, so they could interview and video tape them. I think this is a great idea and the perfect gift for someone who has everything (like my father-in-law). She explained it was a wonderful way for kids to ask questions of their grandparents now, before they are gone. How many of us have thought about questions we should have asked our loved ones who are no longer around? In this day and age of electronics, where everything passes by us at the speed of light, there is still some inherent value to sitting down and talking to our relatives about the "good old days". Which is what my sisters and I did after the photo shoot was over. Look for the story next Sunday, November 1st, in Neighbors.