:^D I'm looking more for poetry than life advice, but I appreciate the input. We're on rice and beans already. We do rent, and the car is worthless. The family is all out of state, and the friends are all in the same boat. Local charities all have emergency requests for resupply out. There's no bussing to my son or daughter's school, so I have to keep the car to keep them educated. I'm not sure what state you're in, but Florida's in rough shape, my friend. Progress Energy thanked us for our patronage with a 25% rate increase in January, and two record cold snaps combined with this rickety house's poor insulation awarded me an $800 power bill...for one month. Ah well.
The cliches are trite, but they have the benefit of being free, so please do keep them coming. On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 6:04 PM, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > > It's not that bad yet, Chris. I can't speak for your situation but > for our country as a whole we aren't in World Depression II yet. It > is a good sign that you are preparing for the worst, however. Make > your connections with family and friends. Plan ahead and band > together to help one another. It isn't the Gov't that pulls people > through it's each other. Plan ahead. Unload the car now before it's > even more worthless. Just getting out from under Harris County car > insurance prices would feed me. Pay gas money for rides to work(if > you still have a job) and ride the bike to the grocery. Rice and > beans, man. > > I've been feeling myself get depressed as well. I look around > sometimes in amazement that so many folks just don't seem to see how > bad it my soon be. This is the time to decide who you can trust and > count on and try to help them and let them help you. The people that > should suffer the most are those that aren't trustworthy, those that > don't have trustworthy friends and family and have never done an > honest days work in their life. However, these are the people that > will receive the most Gov't assistance. This seems unfair to me but > since I can't do anything about it I try not to dwell on it. I've had > to check myself from complaining in front of my son. He doesn't need > to hear how much I resent my Government. > > You've seen the stories after the hurricanes. People help one > another. What gets the most press are the folks crying about not > getting enough help and blaming everyone but themselves but the facts > are most people help each other out and pull through on their own > quietly without fanfare. You will be fine. If you have to leave the > house you have to leave the house. It's just a house. Rent should be > cheap; there's the silver lining. > > Kids are adaptable and resilient for the most part. They will look to > you and you have to show them confidence and find ways to enjoy life. > Sorry if I sound like a self help robot but it really is all about > attitude. Focus on and reinforce the positive. Play with your kids. > Anybody remember hopscotch and handball? It sure is a lot cheaper > then paintball. While teenagers can be a pain in the ass most of them > want to be adults. I've seen my son become proud of the fact that he > actually helps out occasionally. Took awhile though. He's a work in > progress. > > Don't forget it's those fat-fingered folk who are paying the most > taxes and giving the most to charity. That's just a fact. If things > really do go to Hell in a hand basket, guess who will be funding the > soup kitchens? > > I have my own demons to deal with and have no authority to dispense > advice but I figured I'd do it anyway. I'm sure you know everything > I've written but sometimes it helps to read it in black and white. > The important thing is to stick together. Through thick and thin. > Things r thin and likely getting thinner but all will be well because > you will plan for it. > > dj > > > > On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 3:34 PM, Chris Jenkins > <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> It's happening, slowly but surely. I'm watching with creeping dread, >> and wondering how we'll hold on. I remember reading about the Great >> Depression, seeing the black and white photos, and pondering what >> parents did. Now I know. I thought it was just me, and now as I share >> my struggles with my friends, all of us appear to be in the same >> place. Cars falling further behind on maintenance, bills creeping >> further behind, and a haunting sense of desperation as personal crises >> become more and more untenable. >> >> How then do we offer hope to our children, when the outstanding >> balances are twice what the check is, when the water's been cut off >> this week, and the power's close behind? I'm no creature of >> extravagance, having adopted a frugal lifestyle two years ago as the >> tide of the economy began to turn, attempting to stave off what was >> coming. No car payment, no jaunts to the pub, no fancy electronic >> toys, yet other bills rush to take their place. How then do I fight >> the creeping horror that threatens to engulf my very concept of >> tomorrow? >> >> Suits with fat fingers crush fat cigars with self congratulatory >> smiles as they spend more money then I'll ever see in my life, and I'm >> counting quarters to cop some mac and cheese to feed my beautiful >> brood for one more night. Sing to me beautiful cliches of bright >> tomorrows to drift to sleep on tonight, to find reason to wake another >> morning. I'm afraid I'm all out of hope. >> >> > >> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
