Recession has afforded us the chance to take stock of ourselves

Okay, so none of us wished for this terrible recession; we really and truly believed that the good times were here to stay and that we would never have to worry about work, or money or bills ever again. Alas, we were wrong. There is some work, little money, lots of bills and taxes galore. But if we were to be honest – totally honest – would we not admit to feeling some sense of ease? After all, can't we now breathe a big sigh of relief that we no longer have to keep up with the Celtic Tiger pride? Pride as in both senses of the word: the collective noun for a group of mindless animals that stick together because they have neither the independence of thought nor the confidence to live independently. Also the emotion that so often leads to self-ruin. My fellow paupers, the burden of pride is no longer ours to carry. No more keeping up with the rest of the mindless creatures moving en masse to what we think is a better life. No more running to keep up with everyone else just because we are too terrified of the alternative. After all, following the crowd is not always the wisest thing to do. Long before the Europeans arrived in North America, the Blackfoot Indians had their own efficient way of slaughtering large numbers of buffalo. In the foothills of the Rockies at a site they called Estipah-skikikini-kots which is now known as Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, the Indians would start up a stampede of animals and drive them towards the edge of an 11-metre high cliff. Predictably, all the other buffalo, thinking they were missing out on something spectacular, followed suit and…well…that was it then. Job done. Guess what Mama Indian barbequed for dinner that evening? Being somewhat smarter than the hasty, tasty buffalo, we get to reflect on the stupidity of galloping, thoughtlessly, in the same direction as the rest of society. This recession affords us the chance to slow down and analyse what is best for us as individuals and for our families; it has probably instilled a bit of common sense where once silliness copulated with madness and produced utter mayhem. No longer do we buy houses, apartments and foreign villas like one would normally buy knickers in Penney's – very affordable and when you get sick of them, you can dump them and buy more. Isn't it wonderful not to be looked down on like some sub-species of human being just because you don't own half the local town or a high-rise apartment block in Dubai? Now you can pop out for a litre of milk and a loaf of bread without having to panic-buy a 'semi' off the plans. Ah, and the relief of not having to drive around in a phallic symbol of a vehicle – small will do nicely now. And efficient. Let it start when you want it, run till you're done with it and only want a service when you're in the mood. Happy days. This summer, we will not be tripping over each other in our Jimmy Choos to book our fourth holiday of the year. Then again, neither will we be shaking in our Jimmy Choos at the thoughts of our post-holiday credit card bill. Be truthful here… does the thought of raising the white flag and copping out of the obligatory umpteenth trip not hold a certain allure? In order to answer this honestly, you will have to block out the imagined reaction of colleagues and neighbours – go on I dare you… forget the bloody neighbours, just for a minute. Remember those buffalo! Likewise, if the ground ever manages to thaw out this summer and a few brave blades of grass venture forth, none of us will feel obliged to contract in a team of landscape gardeners; we will be free to admit we live in Meath and not on Wisteria Lane. And no, this does not mean we will have to start up the lawnmower under the darkness of night and terrorise the poor hedgehogs and stoats. Indeed, we can finally, without fear of ostracism, go back to doing our own gardening. By the way, gardening tools come in children's sizes too. At long last, we can all stop pretending that we are characters in some American soap opera, and get back in touch with reality. Snowdrops are now in full bloom, and daffodils and tulips have also survived the winter. This summer, roses will bloom. And instead of galloping towards our doom like a bunch of thoughtless lunatics, we will have time, and hopefully the wisdom, to smell those roses.