How the hell can you be thankful in a time of fear and meltdown? Mark Morford

[madokie]

== Change and gratitude =

(By Mark Morford)
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/11/26/notes112608.DTL&nl=fix

They say it is the end of Wall Street. It is the end of the stock market as we know it, the end of investing with any sort of perky unruffled assurance or stability or sense that this thing called creative financial planning is somehow reliable and trustworthy and not some sort of insulting schizophrenic cosmic joke.

It is the end of a huge chunk of your 401(k), much of your home equity, the end of relying on your portfolio or your investment broker for some sort of basic reassurance that all's well, for the thinking that, hey gosh, retirement sure is going to be one spectacular, endless cocktail cruise. O, how fickle and quaint and rose-colored it all now seems.

Then, widen out. It is the end of the idea that, no matter how much raping and pillaging and looting we subjected her to, the U.S. economy would be solid and impervious and utterly unsinkable. Ha. It is very much the end of thinking the United States is the strongest and most unwavering entity on the face of the planet, because aren't you just the cutest blind jingoist ever and by the way China now owns your driveway and most of your children. Sorry.

On it goes. It is very likely the end of the Big Three as we know them, the merciful end of the laughably mediocre American car, the end of the big dumb SUV, Hummers and Escalades and Suburbans now considered about as palatable and attractive as the fat, hairy guy sweating into your margarita at the beach. All sources say Detroit's collapse is either a very good thing, or a very horrible thing. Or it's both. Celebrating yet? ...

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. I am thankful regardless of what happens with America's economy.

Being thankful for family and friends is what makes life worth living and I choose to select the times when I will revel in the presence of the people that are precious to me. Being shitty about about the unfairness and cruelty of the world 24/7 is no way to go through life. Cheers to everyone at DU! Tomorrow I will go back to being pissed off about things that piss me off.

[emilyg]

8. Excellent. I'm with you.

[Lithos]

2. He seriously needs to watch

The Grinch who stole Christmas.

L-

[Snarkoleptic]

3. It's all about perspective.

I'm thankful for the end of the Bush era.

[HopeFor2006]

13. Here Here!

:toast:

[stillcool]

4. Jeez..what does money have to do..

with gratitude? What happened to peace, love, and happiness?

[JeanGrey]

5. I am still thankful. I have a roof over my head, and food for my

belly, and family and friends who love me. Yes I lost tons of money in my 401K and my home equity went down but I am not planning on moving so, so what?

In the past four years I have battled a liver transplant and cancer. I am still battling cancer and every morning I wake up to see the sun is a gift.

And thankful to be in America.

[madokie]

6. I hear ya

My better days are long gone but my most anticipated days are here to come. I am truly happy from the hope I honestly feel today.

[nashville_brook]

7. it's like a half-off sale at the House of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods. Hey, they're half price! Oh wait.

my favorite line.

[ejpoeta]

9. I can always be thankful. Things could be worse than they are.

I have a husband who loves me. Two beautiful girls who are healthy and definitely don't have a speech impediment. LOL! I have a family that supports each other and stick together. Everything else is gravy. I learned a few years ago what really matters when I lost everything in a fire. I was so glad our dog and two cats were ok. Nothing else mattered but that we were ok. Almost everything else we had owned in that house was replaceable. I will be thankful everyday for being able to realize that without losing any one of my family in the process. Because had we been in that house, i don't think we would have been able to get out. We may not live like kings and queens.... but we have what we need and get to live back here on our property. We are blessed to have our pond to look out over and our beautiful woods. And if we are lucky there will be geese and ducks on the pond in the spring. Things may come and things may go.... but family and loved ones make the hard times easier.

[wildflowergardener]

10. Extra thankful

I think it is a year to be extra thankful for the things I do have - when many people have less.

Meg

[cali]

11. I am deeply thankful

I just got home from an incredible thanksgiving with dear friends- more family than friends, really. There were 20 of us this year. We ate good food- most of which we raised ourselves. We drank inexpensive wine. Some of the kids home from college played amazing music. We sang. We played charades. We laughed a lot. I'm so grateful for all of that.

[Common Sense Party]

12. I agree with fellow DU'ers. There is MUCH for which I am thankful.

And Morford is economically challenged. It is not "the end" of a huge chunk of my 401(k). It is the drastic marking down of the price of my shares, which doesn't matter a bit to me today, since I have no intention of selling those shares for another 25 years.