A State of Suspended Animation

When I was a child I always looked forward to Saturdays. The old State Theater in Oregon City ran a Saturday Afternoon Matinee for kids, and we could have our cards punched so we could get in free every twelfth time. The program format was always the same - a full length feature, no less than four cartoons, and a serial to be continued the next week that always ended with a cliffhanger. The motion would stop with the cattle herd about to stampede over the cliff, our hero backing to the edge of a gangplank with pirates in pursuit, or the heroine tied to the railroad track . Anything to make sure we wouldn't stay home the next Saturday.

The anticipation I remember feeling then is not so different from our business clilmate now.

We seem to be waiting in some kind of suspended state for WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Will the market go up? Down? Will the U.S. auto makers survive? Will housing prices stabilize? Will a band of friendly Indians swoop down from the hills and stop the stampeding herd? Will our hero swing to safety on a halyard or will he meet a watery end? Just like waitiing for Saturday to see the outcome we in real estate and other industries are holding our collectitve breaths in anticipation of future developments that will determine our personal and financial success or failure. The new year will bring a new President, a new congressional makeup and a fresh cabinet of experts. Things will change in one way or another for most of us over the next several months.

I find it comforting to remember those Saturday matinee serials. Of course the hero, heroine, or herd would be rescued and there would be a happy ending. We knew everything would be alright as soon as the action started again.