Economics

No, this won't be a lesson on economics because that would be boring, and, to be honest, I don't understand all of the ins and outs of surpluses and deficits, Bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest, and taxing the middle class out of existence, etc.

I want to share a brief story of a friend that isn't terribly political, like most people. This year
she and her spouse had to do a short sale of their home, which she explained to me, but it still made little sense. They now rent a home, which is not where they expected to be at this point in their lives.

They have a couple of kids, they have to rely on one vehicle a lot of the time even though they
both work outside of the home due to regular, everyday issues like carburators and tires and brakes and general car stuff that I know nothing about. Zero. I don't know how to drive, so why would I know how to fix a car? That would be bananas.

She works in the retail industry, higher end, but not high end, if that makes sense, and she has noticed that they are doing more business now than they were a year ago. Most of their sales take place over the weekend, so she spends all week getting caught up on paperwork, making sure everything goes smoothly, dealing with all kinds of regulations and time constraints. She doesn't make commission on her work because she isn't technically in sales. She goes to work everyday with a smile on her face and busts her ass and takes pride in what she does.

She doesn't always know how things will get paid for, but they manage with what they have and their children always have what they need, if not always what they want, but a spoiled child usually becomes a rotten adult, so that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

And even though they now rent a home, and even though money is tighter than usual, and even though life surprises keep popping up that might screw up their plans, she believes, from what she has seen, that the economy is improving and people are doing better. The proof is in her job, with people spending thousands of dollars when just a year ago they weren't. The proof is when she knows she has job security. The proof is when she knows everyone is struggling around her but that they are making it through, and they are not just surviving, but finding ways to thrive.