The little KeyBank down the street was robbed. The men’s locker room during a football game at the high school a few blocks away was robbed. (Update: the day I wrote this post the cash box was stolen at the salon I visited for a haircut). With times this tight, every little bit counts. When folks feel the squeeze, some go all Oprah and start cutting their coupons…others, plain and simple, steal.

Sure, there are those with a propensity to swindle regardless of economic strain. I’m sure I could point out that I live in the least wealthiest part of town, where already stressed budgets and tight money belts cause folks to feel a constant ache in their financial bellies. Add the overall threatening tone of our country–no WORLD–affairs and you could see why someone might feel like knocking off a bank for a few marked bills. Is this is why all sorts of terrible neighborhood news keep appearing? Instead of drawing our friends and families closer as a way to embrace non-financial joy, are the dark sides of certain individuals growing darker? This has to be a time for community, a time for greater communication and a constant excuse to get social. Gone are the days when we could spend freely on electronics that isolated us even further from our tangible community, when we bought fancy cars on credit that we could sit silently idle on the freeway in, and when cheap airfare allowed us constant escape from our neighborhoods.

Times like last night: When we found escape with a simple cup of tea flavored with real half and half and a few late night friends.