One day last week, I was listening to a particular talk-radio program when I heard a woman from somewhere in the mid-west say that she and her husband were in the process of buying a new home.  The show host, feigning disbelief, said something to the effect that she must be crazy; in the face of all of this doom and gloom, and amidst all of the warnings from our ‘leaders’ in government, surely she could not be taking such an enormous risk!  The lady explained that she and her husband had been very prudent with their money, that they had built an excellent credit history, that they owned their cars and had little debt except some student loans which they were rapidly paying off, and that they were certain that they were well-prepared to take advantage of the low interest rates and the market conditions.  “Why not buy a house now?” she asked.  Either she or the radio host then suggested that this couple had simply decided not to participate in the recession.

Believing as I do that so much of what troubles us is a matter of attitude (seriously, don’t you sense that too many people want you to believe that the sky is falling and that only ‘they’ can save us?) I think that the best advice is to trust your own instincts.  And then, as if to accentuate the point about attitudes, someone sent me an email quoting a sign that was posted in front of a church:  “Fear is the dark room where negatives are developed”.  Don’t be afraid to refuse to participate in the recession!