Things seem better. They do.

Having a birthday is always a good time to look back a little and assess where you are.
My birthday was last week. And all in all, I've got to say I'm feeling a lot better about just about everything.
This is not because of any recent economic news. We've been bombarded with warnings about a double-dip recession and deflation. The newspaper industry isn't in any better shape than it was. Unemployment and age discrimination remain prevalent.
And, honestly, our family outlook hasn't improved that much, either. We're still living with a huge income cut for the foreseeable future. Our savings are still down. And our daughter--who still hopes to go to college--gets older each day.
So my feeling better doesn't have anything to do with outside events. It's because we're still here. In our house. With at least part-time employment.
Yes, there's a lot to be said for survival.
And a lot to be said for remembering how bad things were. We are at the point now, where I can look back to last year and say, "Wow. Compared to this time last year, we are on Easy Street."

Last year I spent many sleepless nights wondering whether we could possibly survive on 33 percent less money. What would happen to college loans we couldn't repay? How would we deal with those super high utility bills in the heat of summer and cold of winter?
For one thing, we were blessed with only a moderately hot summer last year. By the time the cold weather hit, I had learned the tricks of the new budget. So we never had to blow off the utility company.
In fact, our hard-core resistance to spending for even the smallest of life's pleasures kept us from frittering the lump cash sum we got when Mike had to go part time.
Of course, it gets tiring, always having to look at the unraveling and threadbare bathroom towels and never getting to eat out. Among other things. It gets tiring, always having to tell your daughter no.
So we took a chunk of that money and went on a big trip last month. Because we earned it. No apologies.
And it felt great.

This time last year Mike was being mercilessly pummeled from the right-wing blogosphere in a very personal way, and I had to watch as these people kicked him when he was down. Believe me, fury is not a pleasant emotion. Now, though, the fun has apparently gone out of it and they've moved on to other targets.

Last year, I was consumed in fear. The thing I was mostly afraid of was what would happen to my daughter's future if we became insolvent.
I'm no longer so afraid of that--not because we're any less likely to become insolvent, but because I've realized how short-term a problem her future is. Only three years until college. Come what may, we have the resources to hang on that long. And on the bright side, our reduced resources may make it easier to get the grants and scholarships that are a matter of course for most of us in what used to be the middle class.
We've just got to get her to college. And once that happens, we'll have some more options as well.
So it's been a better year. Dammit, I might even say I felt optimistic about the months to come. But I don't want to jinx it.

Speaking of economic good fortune, last week's birthday makes it possible for me to now get into the city swimming pool for $1.
There's a brighter tomorrow ahead. Happy birthday to me.