Several news sources indicate that Black Friday retail sales rose only slightly compared to last year. Much of the media, of course, will use this information to forecast doom, gloom and utter destruction of our way of life. In my neighborhood, however, people aren’t having it. As we returned home from dropping off my daughter at the airport Sunday, my wife commented on the holiday lights on our street.

“It’s never been brighter,” she said. “Maybe people are feeling optimistic.”

Perhaps she is right. I’m not saying everyone is rushing out to buy big screen TVs. I know they are not. I can tell you that the people I have talked to recently—from a banker to a doctor to an electrician—all feel that our economy is turning the corner. This certainly is not scientific and might not be ample fodder for a Master’s thesis. On the other hand, I truly believe that confidence among business people and consumers is a big part of what we need to get the economy rolling again. Based on navigating through the last several significant economic slumps, I know that all of us need to start believing that the worst is over for the worst to be truly over.