I agree with your post. The easy money days have gone for a while, but they will be back again (well they always have in the past).
That's when we should be able to make our money back up again. Until then it's just a matter of waiting or investing more wisely.
Like you, I am enjoying the break. For 4 years I watched almost every minute of the market, but I haven't seen any for 3 months. I'm going to spend next year in Europe, perhaps even working a little.
