Silver lining there, if you know to look

They say every cloud has one, and our job now is to find it. In today's economic hurricane, some think that looking forward is bleak and stressful. According to the experts, our immediate future does not look very bright. If that is true, then I propose looking back, not forward.

I remember a time when I had to search the couch cushions for enough change to buy a pizza. I have yet to find a pizza that parallels the taste, smell and pure glory of that one. When we're reminded of simpler, leaner times it brings to the forefront that which has been lost ... the ability to appreciate.

Why does everything seem brighter when you've been in the dark? And why does everything suddenly make sense when you step away from it? The answer - to make us pause, reflect and appreciate.

So maybe this dark cloud called the economic crisis has a silver lining.

It's been said "some things can't be learned, they have to be remembered." Finding balance and perspective could keep times like this less painful. We might even be more likely to land on our feet.

By the age of 10, our youngest economic victims have been inundated with the idea they need things to be fulfilled. This media-fueled illusion is both a burden and a disservice to our children.

This economically challenged time can, however, provided them with a very enriching experience; and maybe some hard lessons too. The valuable ones usually are.

Make no mistake, our kids are watching. They will learn how to deal with similar conditions in their future by watching our response to the current crisis, good or bad.

Our present difficulties will pass. History itself demands it. Jobs will be had, builders will build and markets will rise, and perhaps we'll learn a thing or two about ourselves in the process.

So until that day comes, it's time to back up, just like the long jumper who's about to take a giant leap. He steps back, secures his feet firmly into the gravel, then takes off - right into his future. If we can find a way to do that, then we've found our silver lining.

Better yet, we've found gold.

Jennifer Maurer

Des Plaines