Waiting for a shoe to drop

Well, when I first got to work, I had plenty to do. But since then, it has calmed down....so much so that I'm just waiting for something to happen...and not necessarily a good thing. Things are slow right now, but may pick up later on. This is my long day (12 hrs). One of my kids texted me about something...so I guess the shoe has dropped. Something else for me to worry about, along with my own aches and pains. I try to shrug things off that I have no control over (BIG CONTROL FREAK HERE!), but I still care and worry about so many things. I wouldn't want people to treat me differently...ie keeping things from me. That would make things worse when I found out.
On to other things....an official layoff of employees where my husband works, was put in our local paper this morning. I'm sure there will be more layoffs in the future, but right now husband is working...albeit 32 hours instead of the normal 40.
People just want to live in denial...that layoffs won't happen to them. Then all of a sudden it bites em on their butts...they didn't see it coming, and they weren't prepared. Oh, nobody is completely prepared for losing their job or getting laid off, whether it is temporary or permanent. But when things are said about stock markets dropping drastically, banks needing bailed out, the BIG THREE wanting us to bail them out....well...we know the future looks a tad bit bleak. Then there are the "always cheerful" people who say "count your blessings!" Yeah I'm happy we have our health, food, clothing, a home....but with all the crap that is going on....it doesn't make ya wanna do a jig (unless you've been imbibing in the devil's drink!)
We need to stand up, help each other, and do what needs to be done to save money and make all this crap hurt just a little less.
I remember hearing about the "victory gardens" that everyone planted during WWII. Why can't we do that now? Lots of people still garden just to be growing things and because there's nothing like eating fresh homegrown produce. But there are people that sit around and boohoo, when they could be working the soil up and making a compost pile from table scraps...so they can eat! And it's good therapy. Yeah you may have to do a little weeding/hoeing/tending the garden, but oh how much money you will save! I don't have a compost pile right now. But when I have veggie scraps, I throw it out in the garden spot and let it deteriorate into the ground. It will help my garden out when I till it all up. Sure, it looks funny when a person walks up to the back door and sees tater peelins and onion peelins and ends of celery stalks, but so what! I want to put egg shells out there too, but my cats and dog would be out there munching on them.
We are the masters of our own destiny. We can sit around and complain, bitch and moan about what is going on, or we can do whatever we can to make things a bit easier on ourselves.
Bartering and trading....things people used to do. There are those that still do it. No money is exchanged. Maybe a neighbor wants a garden, so I will till it up for them, and in exchange maybe they will give me some firewood. See how it works? A friend needs a hair permanent, but can't afford to go to a beauty shop. I will give her one in exchange for some of the mess of fish her family caught out of their pond. No money exchanged. Maybe I will knit or crochet an afghan that someone wants, in exchange for some service I might need. Okay, I know what some people will think...."so I have to do somethin to get somethin". Not necessarily. Maybe you just need to be neighborly. If you can do something for someone, without expecting something in return...hey that's GREAT! Or if you need something, but don't know of anyway to repay someone.....maybe they will just do whatever you need, for free. Say someone is selling fresh farm eggs. They never sell all of them before they have another bunch. They would just end up tossing them eventually. Why not ask for those eggs to throw in a compost pile? Or if you need eggs and you KNOW they are still good....ask if you can take them off the person's hands. Maybe they will cut you a good deal. It's all good! If people would just not be uppity, and help others....it will come back to them ten-fold. And even if it didn't come back you....so what? You've helped someone out!