Not taking part in this Recession, thanks.

If you are registered on Facebook - how else do you keep in touch with the activities and travels of three children living overseas? - and if you belong to the 'New Zealand Network', then you're welcome to sign up to (and participate in) my Group, "We've looked at the Recession and decided not to participate."

This is not a struthious ("related to, or resembling, an ostrich") attempt to ignore what is happening globally or to belittle the very real difficulties that thousands of organisations and millions of people are facing as a result of the meltdown. (Only today I heard that at least 20 million Chinese have lost work in the cities and have had to return to the relative poverty of the countryside.)

The purpose of this Group is, however, largely to remind people that recessions are also times of opportunity: unless we get into another Great Depression, most people will still have work, business will continue, and some enormous opportunities will be available to those who take a longer view, who refuse to batten down altogether and are willing to take a chance... There's the added advantage that, if you see an opportunity to invest or grow, chances are there will be fewer people competing with you - they've listened to the doomsayers telling them they should be miserable, so they've stayed home.

It's just a decision.

"Fortes fortuna juvat." (Google it, if you must.)