As I write this, my wife's office is going through another "here's where we stand" meeting. Lay-offs may be announced, and most folks are betting that wage cuts and furloughs will certainly be on the agenda.

This is a common story here and around the country. A lot of our friends work for non-profits. These organizations rely on donations--donations that have not been coming in lately. We have friends who have been laid off, friends who have seen their paychecks or have endured furloughs. More than one has gone through all three of those, though not in that order.

It's not fun waiting to see what will happen. Indeed, there's a significant portion of me that hopes my wife will get laid off. Not as a practical matter, of course, because newspaper reporters who lose their jobs have a slim chance of becoming reporters again any time soon. And my wife loves being a reporter.

But on an emotional level, the worst news can be the best news as well. Once the hammer has fallen, there's no more waiting for the worst. The worst is here, and it's time to deal with it.

It is relatively easy for me to say this, as we sold our house when we left Durham and didn't buy one up here. We don't want to dig into our "house money," especially since we want to use it to buy another house one of these days, but it's there, and we can use it if necessary.

But even for those in more desperate straits, being forced to ask the tough questions like "What do I really want to do?" and "Where do I really want to live?" can be a liberating experience. The are no more excuses, no more half-assed scanning the job listings. It's time to make decisions, call in all your favors and even go into friendship point debt.

Millions of people are facing this problem every day. During most recessions, professional workers are largely shielded from job cuts. Not this time. This morning's Washington Post has a story about lawyers getting laid off. If lawyers are being told to pack up their desks, the economic situation must be dire, indeed.

No matter what happens, the key is to work for the future. The economy will get better. Folks in the professional work force will, by and large, find new jobs. These jobs may not be nearly as attractive as the old jobs, but the jobs will be there eventually.

The same is not true for people in the manufacturing industry. The Big 3 automakers will not be calling people back to work any time soon. If you don't have a college degree, getting another job this year will be rough. Those without high school diplomas will find it even tougher.

But things will get better. When? I dunno. All I can say is that the reason people remember economic crises is that crises are the anomalies. Most of the time, the engine of America chugs along at a decent pace. I don't think this crisis will shut down America for good. That just doesn't make sense.

So this afternoon, we'll find out if we continue to play the waiting game. I hope my wife doesn't lose her job. But if she does, then we'll simply have to follow our plans and go from there. Fear is not an option.

Jon Worley was laid off during the dot-com bust a few years back.