Today marks 7 days into the US Government Shutdown. As a federal worker, this has been a pretty big concern for me. The thought of being without a job and not being able to pay the bills was a real eye-opener at how real this situation is. I can’t imagine how it is for the people that have families to support. I mean, being without pay and benefits like health insurance can really ruin someone. Luckily, because I work for the Department of Defense I am still working but the news has reported that thousands of workers have been furloughed as a result of the shutdown. This has been pretty stressful for many people within my department. Some have taken early retirement as a way to get out of the mess. No one knows how long this will last but hopefully Congress can get a grip and make a decision before this gets any worse.