Time or Money....that is the question????????

Every day I watch the news, the Dow average, the crime reports.......and I feel for people in these rough economic times. The city I live in, that I love so much, is a WONDERFUL place to live but a tough place to work....Why?......I have come to the conclusion that it is because of supply and demand. People love to live in NE Florida so much that there is an abundance of workers. Also I have heard it said that Jacksonville is the Largest Small Town in the country. I may have to agree with that. JAX is unique in that it is one of the largest city's LANDWISE... anywhere in the US, urban sprawl to the max and with a very wide river (the St. Johns) flowing south to north through the middle of the city and not enough bridges to accommodate rush hour traffic. I have known people who commute over 1 hour to work both ways. A neighbor of mine who asked to use my phone takes a approx. $10.00 cab BOTH WAYS to work each day and has been given notice of a layoff in April at a RETIREMENT HOME. Yes, times are hard but..........

I remember a time in the 70's when I was a young man, Jimmy Carter was President, Gas was HIGH for then, and although I had a job as an Engraver, my hours were cut. Back then, we didn't worry about the DOW, the talking heads on CNN or CNBC, we just made the best of what we had and had a lot of friends. When I wasn't working, I raced Hobie Catamaran Sailboats. To save Money on gas we would Stack two boats on a trailer to travel to the races and camp at the Sailing/Yacht Clubs. There would be Pig Roasts, Kegs of Beer, and good competitive racing at the regattas throughout the Midwestern USA. The camaraderie was priceless and friends lasted when family failed. Once a year we would take a trip to South Padre Island Texas or Florida for a well deserved Vacation in our Caravan of Vans with stacked boats in tow taking turns driving non stop to our destination and sharing gas costs. Buy shrimp off a boat and boil it over a campfire on the beach and sleep in the van. These were very good times in rough times. My point is that yes, these are rough economic times, but..................................

Things are NEVER as bad as you are led to believe. There are ways to make lemonade out of lemons, and make them GOOD lifetime memories. FRIENDS are important!!!! No mater what the news says....LIFE IS GOOD!!!

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