The weather is slowly starting to match the seasons. It is much cooler out than the 75 degree days in December where we were all but convinced that winter was giving way to an early spring. As I walked out of the office this afternoon on my way home, I could not help but smile at something I had grown accustomed to missing: sunlight. The days are slowly getting longer again, doing wonders for those among us who cannot help but feel a little drained when the work day ends in the dark. It is slow but steady progress.
That would appear to be the overarching theme for 2009: slow but steady progress. A recent survey at work indicates that most in our industry do not see this year as having much of a chance at being better than the last for the overall economy, but are staying upbeat about their own businesses' prospects. My wife has requested an embargo on talking about the state of the economy while at home unless it relates directly to us. I can certainly empathize with her sentiment there.
On two separate occasions, someone has told me how they wish we could catch a break in the nightly news docket of economic doom and gloom. If someone would go into the mainstream media and just tell us things are getting better quickly (read: tell an outright lie), the psychological boost to our nation would be enough to get the economy's gears moving again. I am not sure I believe that it would happen, but I suppose it is good to have that as an option if we run out of all others.
One of the things I am doing to strike a more positive note for 2009 is to set a few goals. We are already a week into the new year, so to call them "resolutions" is likely impermissible. I hope to get to more networking events in Nashville this year to stay current on what all is happening in the Music City technology crowd. Like many Americans, I want to concentrate a bit more on physical fitness this year. Signing up for the Nashville Predators Fangtastic 5K in February is a positive step in that direction. Other goals include reading more and a slightly wider variety of books as well as eating out less and contributing to our savings account more often.
Unlike the talking head due on television any day now, I hope that I am telling the truth when I commit to those goals.