Winter/recession...yuck!

Is it surprising to anyone that it feels like the winter is dragging on and on and on? We are having a horrible economic winter of sorts that is dragging as well.

I'm sitting here on the anchor desk and my toes are cold and I constantly feel the chills. I'm not getting sick. It's just clear my blood prefers not to move in these plunging temperatures much like my 401k. I checked it for the first time today in months (my 401k not my blood). It has the same amount in it today that it had one year ago today and I never stopped adding money to it. The worst part is that I'm actually putting in more each paycheck than I did a year ago.

I know, I know. I'm fairly young and I'll come out way ahead. But will I? Everyone keeps saying we've never seen anything like this. So, how can you/they tell me I will come out ahead? It's these nagging questions that make even the employed nervous on a daily basis no matter what age you are. You/I feel grateful to leave for the day and know there's a tomorrow in the office.

So, what are the answers? Perhaps the scariest part about all this? There are no clear cut answers. I feel like it's gut check time and we just have to trust our guts. I'm not a financial expert or an economist, but in a lot of ways I feel like our guts are about as accurate.

I have a great job, my wife is pregnant with our first child, we'll celebrate two years married in May, we have a house, it's being heated (thanks to the long winter again), and we have food on the table. It's the best of times and the worst of times. Why? Because that stability that once was the bedrock of the American way can vanish in a blink of an eye in these uncertain times.

I'm thankful for tonight and for what appears to be a great tomorrow. Let's hope all of our tomorrows lead to weeks, months, and years to come!