The Silver Lining

Yes, Virginia, there is a reason to be happy.

Oh, I know that your 401(k) is down 50%. And everyone's worried about the value of their center hall ATM, er, colonial, in the suburbs.

But consider the newfound freedoms we are all enjoying:

We are free from caring about the inlaid teak dashboard on the new Jag.

We are free from the compulsion to replace those '90s corian countertops and get those lovely granite slabs (it really enhances the value of the property, she said).

We are free to wear last year's leather jacket.

We are free to share the giving pleasure of cooking for ourselves, not to mention cleaning up after.

We are free to attend a college with the word "State" after the name.

We are free to finally catalog those thousands of photos taken over the decades, including the ones left to us by our forebears. (We are also free to enjoy a bottle of really tasty $8 Malbec from Mendoza while doing so.)

We are free to make greeting cards out of found objects.

We are free to create a (free) blog and say whatever we wish.

We are free to walk freely, crosstown or across a stream.

So you see, times of economic turmoil remove (expensive) things from the equation and replace them with (free) opportunities.

In the new reality, you hardly have to buy one of anything to get something for free.

How refreshing.