Glass half-full

I work with a Partner at my law firm who is fond of characterizing potential weak points in a client’s case as “opportunities for argument refinement.” The first time I heard him say it, I could not help but chuckle and the superb simplicity of the statement. Only a lawyer would offer such a swift turn of phrase in an effort to regain a superior negotiating position. As a relative novice to the field, I still have a tendency to call it like I see it—why kid yourself, right?

But after I stopped giggling, I realized that he was on to something much bigger. His words echoed the same tone that the director of my swim camp used to repeat year after year—you do not have problems, you only have opportunities.

What opportunity, then, does this recession present? The same partner has me working hard on deadline this week, so my reflections are necessarily short, but here’s my attempt at coming up with all the bright sides to a depressed economy.

1. The interest rate on my student loans is remarkably low
2. HT and I stand a decent chance of actually being able to afford buying a home within the next year or so.
3. There has been a revitalized interest in public service among a generation that had often looked such a professional path.
4. As GirlFriday noted last week, it has become chic to be a homebody.
5. It’s a buyer’s market for sports cars.
6. The decline in preventive healthcare means that it’s easier to get a doctor’s appointment on short notice.
7. Sweet deals available at foreclosure sales.
8. Tee times are more readily available at the golf-course.
9. The people behind me in line at the grocery store have stopped huffing and puffing when I pull out my stack of coupons.
10. When the economy is tanking, you actually don’t mind working until 10pm on a Sunday night because you’re thankful to have work to be doing. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. . .