A rather gloomy haze, and a little lite at the end of the tunnel

A rather gloomy haze has settled over a lot of California. Northern California has been hit particularly hard by the wildfires. As a result, there is a lot of smoke, everywhere. In the mid-west the flooding is out of control, and the price of gas is sky rocketing.

With all of these things, people seem to be caught up in the idea that things are really "That Bad." So I was thinking today, "What about my life is that bad?"

1. I have home. I suppose to some people this is not that big of a deal. After all, a large chunk of Americans own their homes. Why should I be any different? Well, to begin with, I was horribly irresponsible until very recently (more on this transformation later). So I own a home. Actually, "we" own home. and we love it (except for the neighbors across the street, we could live without them. but I guess no neighborhood is perfect, right?).
2. I have a pretty decent job. And job security is not a problem for me. I have a supervisory position, I make decent money, and I am generally well respected (at least I like to believe so, if I didn't I might have to kill myself). So I can pay my bills, I afford a few toys, and I can do the things I want to (I guess that sounds selfish, but that's not how it is meant)
3. I have a wonderful wife. Ok, this may sound sappy, but who cares really? This is my little bit of input on life. Delia has turned my life around. I guess that makes it sound like I was an alcoholic bum addicted to smack, and the introduction of my wife to my life was something akin to a 12 step program topped off with a strict regimen of "Yes Dears." But in truth, she is a patient woman who puts up with my antics and still manages to help not make an arse of myself on a regular basis.
4. I have a son who thinks I am practically immortal. What 8 year old doesn't think his dad is perfect? Need I say more? I think not.
5. I have a great circle of friends who all do their best to make sure we all don't get into too much trouble. And that, in and of itself something to write home about.

So there it is, some of the things that tell me, Things are not that bad. There are people who are need, there are people out there losing their lives, and it costs about $100 bucks to fill my gas tank. And still, I think things aren't that bad.

There is always a bright side to things.