Office conversations: The stock market and the financial crunch is currently the hot topic.

I took notes today about what was going on in one of the departments I oversee at the hospital. The nurses were on a roll. The two could just not stop obsessing over the Stock Market and the financial crisis.

It did not help matters that a certain semi-retired psychiatrist came in with his I-Phone and was checking stocks in the nursing station as part of the discussion. He also went into a history lesson that I felt he was probably ill informed to give to the two nurses including something about 1932 and the Great Depression.

The psychiatrist expressed his concern about the possible slippery slope if the recession became a depression. He felt that it could affect us here in the psychiatric hospital as people might stop coming in for therapy and help. Maybe so but in my observation, it only fueled the two nurses to obsess more--they went on for another 10 minutes.

There was talk about retirement plans and the safety of 403-B's and 401-K plans. There was the sound of panic. Fritz made his comment about his retirement plan is to drop dead at age 60.

I got tired of it and wound up doing an unsolicited fatherly intervention by giving them a copy of a story in today's USA Today about how the economy was bringing on stress. It at least shut them up until lunch time.

I went to the other office I oversee. They were talking about the dog one of the social workers was 'expecting' and 'pregnant with.'

Bizarre but then it was not about the recession and finances. The one who is expecting the dog to be born admitted that it is futile to be thinking about the financial stuff because she cannot control it. In fact she cited how she heard a life coach on the radio talk about focusing on only what you can control is important for mental health.

Bravo. Bizarre is sometimes better. Thinking about baby golden retriever puppies sounds quite obtuse, but the stress level is bound to be much lower than dwelling on the economy at this time.

Next . . .

I listened to the debate between Obama and McCain tonight while I gave the toilet an enema. (True--the toilet snack from walmart did not work, so I had to take it off and take it outside and wash it out with the garden hose).

Obama and McCain are both talking about things not being as bad as people think they will be—a recession but no depression.

In a sense, they are saying the same things. They are giving their versions of hope.

Which label would you prefer? In reality with our congressional system, neither plan is ever going to get passed in its pure form. Furthermore, I honestly think that the economy will straighten itself out before either one of their plans actually gets out of committee.

I have decided that in the last 48 hours, the media has really kicked up the stress level of the country. Yeah, the president has made enough statements throwing gasoline on the fire.

But in reality, we all decide how much we are going to let ourselves get stressed—me included.

I just have too many other things to do than fret over what I cannot control. Making the toilet work was my contribution to my family's and my own well-being tonight.

It was pretty satisfying and reduced my stress level to know I could do something like take it off and put it back on and it still works! No leaks either!

The slippery slope that politicians, media pundits, academics, and histrionic nurses dwell on frequently is rarely the reality. Toilets having problems is much more real and much more resolvable.

More on the weekend.