Recession Proof Your Life?

With many people around the country experiencing hard times now, it is good to hear ideas from someone who had been through similar experiences and survived.

Jeri has written a short article with her suggestions for how to survive in a downturn that can provide a lot of comfort.

Some of her ideas reminded me of a period in my life where I was "between jobs" and how I handled it. I had two sons then who were between five and seven years old, and we decided to build a picnic table together. With their short attention span at that age, I obviously built most of the table myself, but I made sure that they participated in each step in the process, getting a chance to use each of the tools to cut wood, hammer nails, drill holes for screws, drive the screws, and stain the finished table. It was a great project for bonding with my sons and letting them acquire some skills and confidence.

We enjoyed the table for many years, but after some twenty years in the back yard, it was pretty badly deteriorated and we finally got rid of it. My sons never forgot the experience, however, and as a surprise for my birthday, they both came in from out of town without telling me about it. I woke up on the day to find them in the kitchen with my wife (who was in on the surprise) with a big breakfast prepared and party music on the stereo! When I recovered from the shock, they announced, "Dad, we have come in to rebuild the picnic table together!"

We had a great weekend together working on the table, creating not only another table that we enjoy, but a new set of memories that remind me how rewarding life can be even in difficult times.