If you are like me, and my family, and my co-workers, and my friends…. you are STRESSED! Our economy is so up and down that even the best financial analysts are unsure what to expect the next day. Remember the times when gas went up 5¢ and we said “hey, what is up with that?”? Now it moves up and down every few days up to 20¢ or more at a time!

I heard an interview on NPR this morning, as the host was responding to e-mails from people like me who feel the spikes in gas are a result of Wall Street, not OPEC. While the interviewee didn’t really take a side completely, he acknowledged that trading and speculators were partly to blame for fuel prices.

Sure, the swing in growth in Asian markets is testing the markets, but that is a consistent draw, it is not the cause of gas going up and down daily. Needless to say, I started riding my bike again!

Gas prices are just one factor of our high stress levels. In addition we are working harder and longer hours at work (and home), we are dealing with putting gas in the car/truck/mower, the future of our country is about to change hands to a new president, it seems half the world is unhappy with us (for good reason) due to Iraq, and on and on.

But like my wife said, “it is better than the alternative” (meaning no job). I agree, but still feel the pain.