A couple of months ago my garage door stopped working properly. I could open it, but every time I tried to  close it the door would lower to within six inches of the floor and then open again.

There was a fix…I just had to hold down the keypad until the door hit the ground. The big exception was the  remote door opener in my car— no matter how long I held it down, the door would not close.

So to get out of my garage I had to open the door, drive the car into the driveway, get out of the car, punch in my security code into the garage door’s  "keyless entry pad", press down the keypad until the garage door closes completely, get back in my car, slam the door and drive away.

Two weeks ago I went on Craig’s List in search of a garage door opener fixer.The repair guy answered in inquiry but when he found out where I lived, he opted not to continue the correspondence. I was amazed. Who in this economy can afford to turn away work?

Wherever I go I hear the dreaded words, " It’s slow." Whether its the nail technicians, hair stylists or restaurants that seem to have plenty of seating these days, it’s getting harder to earn a buck.

Today The New York Times confirms this observation.

The gradual erosion of the paycheck has become a stealth force driving the American economic downturn. Most of the attention has focused on the loss of jobs and the risk of layoffs. But the less-noticeable shrinking of hours and pay for millions of workers around the country appears to be a bigger contributor to the decline, which has already spread from housing and finance to other important areas of the economy.

[…]

As people bring home paychecks that do not go as far, they are forced to economize, eliminating demand for goods and services that once captured their dollars, spreading pain to providers like auto dealers and lawn care providers. They, too, must trim their outlays on pay, shrinking working hours more and furthering the slowdown

“It means spending slows going forward,” said Robert Barbera, chief economist at the trading and research firm ITG.

Yesterday I found someone else on Craig’s List to fix the garage door. He said business has been slow. He also mentioned he’s originally from Minot, North Dakota where it seems they’ve discovered oil

"So," I asked, " Are you planning to return to Minot?"

"Not quite yet,"  said like a man who may be glad he’s from Minot but doesn’t want to be from Minot.

Reminding me to remind myself the hope springs eternal.