The news industry peddles gloom-disaster-doom. Many bloggers, too.

Turn off the Evening Bad News with Katie Couric-Brian Williams-Charlie Gibson now and then and you'll feel better.

I have a certified therapy dog and we visit pediatric oncology. Amidst their struggle with cancer, these children and their families take time out to smile and laugh when my big tail-wagging furball (a Samoyed) saunters into their hospital room and jumps up on the bed. The world's problems fall away at those times.

Seeing them find such joy in a visiting dog has given me perspective in my comparatively trivial problems and is a poignant reminder to be happy for every day, every loved one, every friend, my neighbors (most of them) and to stop defining success and happiness by possessions and resume.

Good news: despite yesterday's dismal employment number (500,000 jobs lost in November),over 93% of the workforce is still working. While the news industry harps on that job loss number being the highest since 1974 and compares other figures to the deep early 1980s recession, few articles mention that the size of the American workforce has increased 50% since 1982.

Good news: The vast majority of Americans -- 90% -- either own their homes outright or are making their mortgages. And homes are becoming affordable again for those who sat out the housing insanity and saved money for a 10-20% down payment.

2009 is going to be tough for many. Businesses are anticipating that and getting leaner. People are hunkering down, building their savings. As they should. As they always should have. The economy will always have periods of recessions -- sometimes deep ones. Housing markets will rise again, and they will fall again. Gas prices will go down, up, and down again. They always have, they will for the next 100 years.

Good news: a couple generations is learning these facts and won't soon forget them.

Good news: unlike the Depression years, we go into this down economy with a safety net -- such as unemployment insurance for workers and FDIC for bank deposits. THAT IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION. The government is not standing by in 2008 to wait for banks to fail en masse -- as happened in the early 1930s.

Good news: despite the election results, we are unlikely to resort to the extremely self-destructive 1930 tactic of retreating into protectionism and shutting our nation's doors to trade. Research Smoot-Hawley, we won't go there again.

I'm worried about the near future, but optimistic.

And my dog is clamoring for a belly rub, so I must go.

Cheers!