by David Duncan

Created on: July 11, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

I have felt most immediate effect of the current recession in my occupation, as a Chef. There was immediate drop in customer traffic when fuel costs skyrocketed this past year. Spending more for fuel left many customers without any choice but to tighten their budget in other areas of their household. For many of our customers, dining out had to be trimmed. Trying to combat rising transportation costs and diminished dining service, my employer has been scrambling to stem the profit losses, resulting in losing a third of the workforce at my location. In turn, a reduced level of trust in company's current standing and diminished motivation has set in among many employees that had hopes of riding out the bad times.

Coupled with economic uncertainty, my employer is facing a large contract negotiation with a major client that could either breathe new life into our operations, or cause even more cutbacks and loss. Like many workplaces across the nation, my workplace is filled with those who are working on a day-to-day basis, waiting for answers from management who, in turn, are faced with very tough staffing decisions.

As for home life, our family has always put a great value on spending time together. The recession has certainly limited the amount of money we spend on family activities, but not the time we actually spend with each other. We spend less on family outings by just picking activities that are more reasonable in these times, like more picnics or attending more community-sponsored free events.

As for how I view the future, I am stepping out on a bold, new adventure by taking a chance on returning to school to learn a new trade. In harsh times, it is hard to look into the future when resources force you to dial-in your efforts in order to just survive. Still, I refuse to allow the present circumstances to take up all my energy so I have nothing left to envision the future. So, what is the current economic slowdown doing to my hopes and dreams?

Fighting for what you believe in involves one key action, an action that is more crucial than any other. If you are going to succeed, you have to get back up when you are knocked down. Have I suffered hardship in this recession and been knocked down? Yes, there have been times when I reached the point of almost hysterical laughter over troubles because it was the only tool left to stem off depression. Have I lost faith in my abilities to recover and be different, yet better, than I was before? No. Knowing that I

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