My brother and I slept in the same bed back in those times, the last years of elementary school. I liked the place against the wall and was comfortable there. I was comfortable that night, too--that terrible night, when something I heard through my sleep nudged me awake, though just barely at first.

My slow return to consciousness was put into high gear when I heard the footsteps of some unknown and unwelcome intruder coming down the hall. My eyes flew open but would not focus, and I had no voice because my pounding heart was in my throat. But I didn’t move a muscle as I listened intently to the approaching fiend.

A man, stooped or perhaps just short, appeared in the doorway to our room. I hoped against hope he would pass us or disappear as fast as he had come, a remnant of the dream just now clearing my head. Instead, he crouched lower, took one step and leapt at our bed. At that second, my voice returned, and I screamed the most terrified scream of my life.

The fiend immediately let loose his own piercing high scream, then seemed to stop in mid-air and dropped to the floor just in front of the bed. He continued to scream but did not rise, and I screamed back with all my might until the whole house rattled with the assault of our horrific cries.

Then, a low but loud voice from the darkness called out, “Boys, what in the world are you hollering about?” The voice was my dad’s, and he demanded an answer. Only then did I realize that I was alone in the bed, and it was the two of us, each screaming at our worst imaginary nightmare that had scared ourselves witless that night.

In my drowsy state, I hadn’t missed my brother, who was returning from a trip to the bathroom and already scared himself. I had assumed the worst--that he was the boogie-man I’d always known would come some night, and he was terrified of whatever I was screaming about.

My dad’s firm and steady voice brought us back to reality quickly. Our response to his question, whatever it was, let everyone in the house know we were fine or as fine as two young cowards could be in the middle of a dark winter night.

Perhaps I have told this story before, but this crazy time we are living in has reminded me of it more than once--reminded me of just how contagious fear really is. And as I witness the difference in our business so far in 2009 versus the same time frame last year, I also can see the damage that fear, when shared and encouraged, can bring.

Of course, I am talking about the economy or, rather, the recession that all businesses, sign businesses included, are dealing with right now. And I truly believe the worst effects of it merely were caused by fear and anxiety, broadcasted loud and clear from the highest authorities and repeated for effect as often as possible.

In the beginning, we only had a banking crisis, but with this kind of support, it grew into a global recession with unimaginable speed. Though the federal government had the ability to “loan” the banks whatever money they required, to be paid back on any time frame with little collateral damage to the economy, the fear of a “global financial meltdown” or an “economic disaster not seen since the Great Depression” began to take its toll.

Personal spending slowed at an alarming rate. Business spending did the same. In our northeast Texas area, the booming economy mostly was fueled by natural gas drilling and pipeline building. But just when supply was showing a slight ability to surpass demand, demand dropped significantly in a matter of weeks. Prices plummeted, and drilling soon stopped.

We have customers who ceased to exist and clients who overnight stopped needing 80 percent of the work they normally ordered. And more than half of our regular sign business was tied to the oil and gas industry in some way.

And what we’ve had to deal with is nothing compared to the building, automotive and manufacturing sectors in some areas of the country. A major manufacturer of CNC cutting machines sold 150 units in January 2008 and sold less than a tenth of that number in the same month of 2009. They make great machines, but the federal government scared all their customers into hiding.

As for us, though we’ve invested serious capital into our businesses in the last year or so, we probably will find our way to our own recovery. Oh, we will have to work hard and smart to do it and trust that the only higher power I have any faith in will bless our efforts as He has done before.

So I’m not really pessimistic, just frustrated. When we needed calm, confidence and courage, we got fear, panic and plenty of leaders trying not to help the country but merely cover their own rear ends.

But you, I and all the other small business owners out there have to pull the country out of this recession, one day at a time. The time for fear is past; now, we roll up our sleeves and get back to work. After all, what are we afraid of? What are we screaming about? It’s still the best country in the world, and we should give it our best.

Thanks for listening to this old sign maker. I’m still “In the Trenches,” and I know most of you are, too. Have a great month.
--Rick