It is hard for me to watch the news when every day they seem to only cover the bad state of the economy, never touching on what we can do to get through the tough times or how we can help others. There are times during each day where I feel the inevitable pull of all the things that I don't have a whole lot of control over; losing my job, getting into grad school ect.. But then I remind myself of all the things I have. In a world where 1.1 billion people have inadequate water and where 20% of the world population consume 76% of the resources, I am doing alright in the scheme of things. My intentions is not to point out all the bad things going on in the world, it is simply to put things in perspective. 
Life is not a bowl of cherries, there are some difficult times ahead, but nothing that I am going through is going to kill me, or leave me in disrepair. I think it is important to remember what life has to offer rather than what it is missing. For even at the worst of times my family is always there for me, giving me the mental and finical strength to dredge forward. There is also my friends, those closest to me give me strength and laughter in a way that at times makes me feel guilty. Guilty for being so lucky.
So as I go to sleep in my lush bed, in a apartment that I cant afford, in clothes that I spent way to much money on (and have to many of) I look back at the the things that I have thought important at one point in my life. So many of them mean nothing to me now, the clothes and shoes that I so once coveted are not aiding in my economic recovery or emotional state. But those things that are intangible, the friends, family and memories of all the adventures I have been on, small and large and the one I know are ahead of me, I stay grateful. For even at the worst of times we (I) am still one of the 20% who consumes more than I need and though it might me less than some, it is still enough to live off of and as long as I can do that, there is still time to be happy:)
