Back to Work

I've mostly avoided writing about this but now it can be told: I was unemployed from the end of April until the beginning of October. Probably not a startling fact given that we all know unemployment is rampant and not getting better yadda yadda: But it was a profound & prolonged shock to me, within hailing distance of traditional retirement age, to discover that paying work is not something I can count on.

Never since high school had I failed to get a job fairly quickly when I wanted one. I stayed at home with each of my daughters for what might be considered a long time but as soon as each of them entered daycare a job materialized. Even freelancing in my carefree thirties didn't leave me idle often. Much as I hated the process of finding writing gigs I was usually over-, rather than under-employed. Not all of my jobs have been great but I always managed to find something that paid the rent and kept me occupied during the so-called business day.

But not this time.

Call me over-entitled but not stupid; when the social services position I had was downsized last summer, I did see the writing on the wall. (Funding disappeared entirely six months later) I began sending out resumes in a somewhat desultory fashion. I was so sure that I would find something comparable - or better!- than the job I had had that I didn't even bother to respond to many ads.I applied for a few that were a stretch, reasoning If Not Now, When? And I got flat-out ignored or passed over closely - what difference?

I did luck out, as it turns out. I found something I like that pays, if not as well as my old job, nearly so and five months of LOOKING have made me grateful.

Now I'm crossing my fingers that the 90-day trial period passes without incident and I KEEP this job. Another thing it never before occurred to me to worry about.

How the over-entitled have fallen!