I’m not sure how everyone else feels, but I am so sick of hearing about the economy and how bad things are (and how freaked out the world is).  I feel like even the most optimistic people could become depressed after weeks and weeks of hearing about job loss, foreclosures, and loss of faith in America.

Yes I do!!

I was doing some thinking this morning about the people that I have known who I would consider the “happiest souls” I’ve ever met.  I know I blog about her often, but my grandma (Grammy) was ridiculously awesome when it came to seeing the bright side.  She was content with everything she had– even though it wasn’t much.  She thought relationships and experiences were far more important than money and possessions.  Although she lived on very little, she never felt deprived and wasn’t ashamed of admitting that she didn’t have much.

Even though Grammy can’t be here to witness the economic debacle of today and tomorrow, I always think about how she would react to what’s going on.  I think she would laugh at the chaos of it all, make jokes about being glad that she doesn’t have much money to lose, and focus on what she does have in life that she is thankful for. 

Some of Grammy’s famous lines:

  • “I’m so thankful for…” (insert one of her classics: my microwave, my VCR, learning how to use email, to be together for the holiday’s, my Bose radio your dad got me, or Klondike bars– to name a few).
  • “Yard by yard, life is hard.  Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”
  • “I’m not going to worry about anything I can’t control.”
  • “Life is too short to collect stuff.  I collect love!”

Here’s an old email I found from her a couple of weeks ago that made me happy:

From: Gladys Groome
> > > Date: Friday, February 13, 2004 8:18 pm
> > > Subject: Re: Hi Grammy!!
> > >
> > > > Hi Krissy. So glad to know that you think about me. I really think
> > > > of you every day and miss you so much.  Love, Grammy

I think that it’s important to hear about the things that are going on in America and to understand the real impact of our economic situation.  I also think that while it’s important to listen when you can, it’s also important to just turn off the TV and stop reading about it all every now and then.  Sometimes you just need a break in order to stay sane.

In moments where I feel that I may lose my sanity, I remember the people who are important to me, and try to see this whole mess as an opportunity to spend more time learning how to prepare financially for things in a reponsible way.  Hopefully the preparations will never be needed, but if they are, I’ll be ready.  In the mean time, I’ll be closer to what really matters in life– people and experiences.  Houses, lost retirement income, and savings accounts don’t matter if you die tomorrow of a heart attack from being so stressed about the “what-if’s.”  When all is said and done, what matters is the type of person you have made yourself into.

…Because money is just paper!…