The Sky is Always Blue Above the Clouds

Today's headlines aren't great; 'New Quarantine Powers to Fight Swine Flu'... '91 Aussies Suspected'... 'ANZ Shares Drop'. Yesterday's were tough too, with horrific murder stories, further talk of a recession and the first cases of suspected Swine Flu on Australian shores.

Now that I think about it, it's been a while since we've had good news. Yes, interest rates are dropping but that relief is somewhat dampened by the thousands of houses being reposessed by banks due to rising unemployment levels.

During times like these I find it hard not to feel like everything is against us and that nothing will ever go to plan or succeed again. In a few months, or maybe even years, I'm sure I'll look back on my (almost) depressed state as being over-reactive and dramatic. I'm sure we'd all agree though, that while we're in the middle of these crises, it's very hard to look upon things rationally.

Recession. Swine Flu. High unemployment rates. We're all feeling it now. Some of us have lost jobs, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on investments, lost homes or, even more seriously, have loved ones who may be infected with the dreaded Swine Flu.

It may sound sadistic to say this, but I find it comforting to know that we're all going through this, not just one or two pockets of society. It's comforting because we're all going through it together. Most of us know the disappointment of financial loss, the fear of what is to come and the frustration of the now. Most of us know that this will pass, but that right now, the present is all we have. The past was, in many ways, brighter and the future will once again be brighter, oneday. When it comes down to the reality of things, all we have is the people who we love and our faith. But, I guess, that's all we've ever had, recession, boom or sickness.

One thing I love about friends and family is that they're in the position to be able to remind us that the sky is always blue above the clouds and that oneday this will all be a past memory, out of which we'll all come stronger, braver, smarter and hopefully, more appreciative of what we do have.


Photo by Anders Jacobsen
http://www.extrospection.com/