Hard Times Breed Creativity

by Jackie
(Omaha, NE)

We are struggling. My family is struggling. Thankfully we rent an apartment and don't own a home because I'm sure that if we did, it would be gone by now.

I have been laid off from work but my husband still has his job. I cannot seem to find work to save my life. My kids don't seem to understand the word No. They don't understand that we don't have the money to buy the latest and greatest. This is mostly our fault because we've never told them No before. At least not very often.

When this all first started about four months ago, I cried a lot. I was scared and worried and stressed. To some extent, I still am. But I refuse to be a victim and I refuse to pity myself when so many others are going through the same or worse. Many have no place to live, so I am thankful for our apartment.

Now that the weather is getting warmer and I have plenty of time on my hands, I have begun to think more creatively as far as what we can do together as a family to make it through the tough times. I believe that hard times breed creativity in a way that plentiful times do not.

This weekend I took my two children on a scavenger hunt around our neighborhood. I spent some time this week making and decorating lists of things for them to find. Then the four of us (plus our dog, Sammy) went for a long walk and occupied ourselves and the kids by looking for items on the scavenger hunt list. It was fun and more rewarding then going shopping or buying the kids stuff to keep them entertained instead of spending time with them. The walk also helped us to get out some of our stress and anxiety, we all benefited from this activity.

Next week, I'll come up with a new idea, and maybe re-use my scavenger hunt (with new things to look for) in a month or so. I've suddenly realized that the years I spent working were going by too quickly and I was taking my family and the money we made for granted.

Now, even though times are hard, I will always cherish the togetherness that this recession has brought to our family.