By Jay Forte

The recession has hit all of us… and hard. But with the downs come some amazing ups…some amazing lessons that many of us have learned as the recession changed the way we live. It takes a lot of effort to stay optimistic…but that is the key to our success in difficult times. Start to notice the things that are making us better and stronger. There is a lesson in everything – see the good things that have come from this period of stress. Add your ideas – we’ll keep the list going so when things get you down, come and check in on all the good that is around as well. Sometimes, that is just what we need.

Getting Stronger, Getting Better:
• We realize we can’t spend what we don’t have; credit and credit cards are not the same as cash.
• We now spend more time at home, we eat as a family, we are learning to spend time again with each other and talk to each other more.
• Dinner out is now more a treat than a routine.
• Dessert out is as much fun and more affordable than dinner out.
• We do more family events using what we have; we look at photos, remember events and reconnect to our kids, parents, cousins and grandparents, and what to what they remember, share and think.
• Track shoes and a two-mile jog around the neighborhood burns as many calories as a tread mill, stairmaster or elliptical stepper at a gym.
• We use our now more limited weekly food money on real food and have eliminated many of the snacks that are not good for us; we are starting to eat healthier.
• We reconnected to our neighbors and learned to share our extra when they did not have enough; we are building our social networks face-to-face.
• We hang up our clothes instead of leaving them on the floor or on the chair; we do less laundry, and we make things last.
• We watch the movies, wear the clothes and play the games we forgot we had; we treasure what we have.
• We waste less food, create less garbage and leave less of a footprint on the planet; we are more aware that supplies of things are limited – and once gone, they may be gone for good.
• We are less fixated on whether we have the newest, shiniest, best or most expensive, in favor having the right things that keep people healthy and safe.
• We drive our cars less, consume less gas and learn about the great things in our neighborhood; in the process we make our cars last a little longer.
• We slow down on the road knowing that it conserves fuel and offers a view of some great things we generally didn’t notice in our rush to get places.
• We spend more time with each other; we rekindle friendships that evaporated when life became too busy to stay in touch.
• We recycle more, go to garage sales, flea markets and thrift stores. Bohemian and trendy salvage styles are making a comeback.
• We buy local produce that saves on fuel and gives us healthier things to eat.
• We have learned to extend any meal by adding cans of things we had in the pantry; we invent new family recipes; we use what we have.
• We borrow books and movies from the library instead of buying new ones.
• We spend more time with crayons, glue, paper and a box to make great things and have a great time.
• We are beginning to realize that a gift is truly based on the thought instead of the cash value – and that a flower picked or a handmade card delivered at the right moment creates the right memory.
• We learn how to talk to each other again.
• We get by without 700 cable channels of chatter and stuff.
• We now turn lights off when we are not in a room, reduce the amount of heat or air conditioning and are still fine.
• We live by the rule that for every bag that comes into the house, two must go – one to trash/recycle, one to the needy.
• We buy day-old, discount and reduced-cost foods that help us save money and improve our creativity in the kitchen.
• We now treat things with more respect – a person, book, toy, car or other important thing.
• We take a bike to work. We get our workout, get to work and leave less of a impact on the planet.
• We rent out or share an extra room with someone who can’t afford their house.
• We give all of the clothes that don’t fit or we can’t use to organizations that ensure it gets distributed to those who use them.
• We use coupons and look for the best deals before we buy; we understand what we buy instead of thinking that we’ll throw it out and get another one.
• An afternoon out is now a walk around the neighborhood, time at a park or appreciating nature, architecture, a view or the weather; there doesn’t have to be a purchase to make the afternoon valuable.