Making choices in a tough economy

This week we learned that our unemployment is being cut off. My husband was able to find a very part-time (1-2 days a week), temporary job. But it caused a flag, and it cut off his unemployment. It's doubtful we'll get any more benefits at this point.

This is a scary time for us, and for many of us around the country. Our lives are being shaken to the core. Jobs are lost by the thousands. Homes are abandoned. And our children are watching. I only hope mine are too little to recognize the difference, but they know Mommy and Daddy are different.

So, it's little wonder that some of us bloggers are quieter these days. Maybe there's fewer hours in the day. Maybe there's less enthusiasm to make a world a better place. Maybe we're all about getting by.

I've noticed that I've made changes too, slipping into habits that I'd thought I'd quit. My Diet Coke intake is back up - though not quite the way it used to be - because I don't sleep at night. I don't buy green cleaning products if I can replace them with non-green ones on sale (though I still use my stockpile of baking soda when I can). I've held off on any planting of trees, bushes, or even garlic, because I don't know whether we'll be able to hang on to our home to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Organic food, what little I bought, has gone by the wayside. And I'm making the most of my strange brew that's in my CSA share, which will end in a few weeks.

I have no idea what the future holds for us, for this country. But I have to believe that as a society we have two options: We can panic, and hole up in our houses, waiting for armaggedon. Or we can reach out to our neighors, create a community, and try to weather this crisis.