Some of what follows is commonly known, but it introduces, or at least sets the stage, for my main point, which will become clear in short order. Many of us, probably most of us, have been going through difficult economic times since the economy nearly fell into another Great Depression in 2008-09. It has been a slow road back and the job market hasn’t rebounded nearly as well as the stock market. Most folks have jobs, but in general, employment is less secure than it had been, many employers are expecting employees to do more with less, and we haven’t been able to turn to the equity in our homes to help us out. As we all know, that’s because the value of our homes dropped significantly, and there isn’t equity in them any longer. And when we are under economic stress, that usually spills over into our personal lives as well, our personal relationships. The short of it is, after some bad policy making since the 1980s, our economy finally took a really big hit, and we continue to live with the consequences.
However, as difficult as things have been and continue to be, we all have blessings in our lives also. The story is not entirely bad news. There are great things to report. I was chatting with my younger sister on the phone the other day, the first time in more than a month because I have been incredibly busy and she really didn’t know when to call. We were talking for quite a while and discussing the economic challenges we have been facing these past couple of years, and then agreed that we are also very, very lucky and fortunate. We have many loving relationships in our lives with our spouses, children, siblings, parents and friends. We live in nice, albeit modest, homes. We are employed, even though we’ve struggled with unemployment at times. And we enjoy relatively good health, as we get older and wiser. As we were speaking, we were also waiting for my sister’s daughter to give birth to her first grandchild in Hawaii, where her daughter teaches kindergarten. Life truly is delightful when we focus on our blessings.
This past weekend, my 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, and I spent some wonderful time together. We drove ”“ or rather I drove and she read ”“ to Camden and up to the top of Mount Battie, where the castle is, and hung out on the grass and rocks overlooking Camden Harbor, the islands and ocean. Later, with my mother and wife, Elaine, (who worked all day) we had burgers and steak from the grill with fresh corn and a salad. We enjoyed ourselves, created some great memories, and I reflected on how lucky I am. So the truth is, the bottom line is, and I am a bottom line kind of guy, that yes, life is hard sometimes, challenging and even heart wrenching. But it is also magnificent and uplifting. I must ”“ we must ”“ remember that, too.
Thank you for reading, and have a wicked great week!
— Bruce M. Hardina is the publisher of the Journal Tribune, and a singer-songwriter, philosopher, student of life and the human experience, columnist, entrepreneur, and loving father, husband, son, brother, neighbor and friend.
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