Things were going fine, yet there were times we were flat broke. I remember one such time counting out every centimo we had in the house to buy the children's milk. As I walked home, I remember laughing, I felt so free. The grass seemed greener, the sky seemed bluer, and life seemed crisper. The overwhelming lesson that difficult times teach us is that the most important things in life are those things that constantly are in front of us, and they're free.
Fear also can be good and advantageous.
It creates frugality and caution. It inspires sacrifice, determination. I remember an instance as a kid running from a vicious dog. I was amazed at how fast I could move and how every detail from that event was seared deep into my memory. I still can replay that mad dash in my mind, a dark, lucid slow motion.