Issue 2(21) / March 2009

Unemployed Smile
Ðóññêàÿ âåðñèÿ

Unemployed Smile

Hello everyone and thank you for reading this. I am a writer wannabe. Well, maybe, just a little more than a wannabe. I am currently working on my first yet unnamed novel. It’s about a corrupt politician that gets his in the end. I currently have about 35,000 words and 14 chapters down. I intend to finish it by the end of the year. Then comes the hard part... rewrites and finding a publisher. Coincidently, I also write for the Daytona Beach News Journal occasionally.
Thomas managed to stay positive while unemployed

But...

I wasn't always leading toward a writing career. I always wanted to, but Design Engineering Technology took a front seat to this. My how things have changed. Below is how this all occurred.

Although, you may have lost your job due to company downsizing and/or circumstances beyond your control, you can still hold your head up. Stay positive. Stay focused. Treat it as a time to re-evaluate yourself, spend quality time with your family, or get caught up on the honey do list. I know it can be hard at times with all the worries that are associated with such a drastic turn. This is my story...

I, for one, am a victim of this situation and have felt the stress that envelopes a person in a time such as this. But, I've treated as an opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do. I write. I write on my resume. I write cover letters. I brainstorm and write the ideas down. I write stories and articles. And, I am finally able to add to the 34,000 words I have previously had down on a novel idea I've had for years. Sure, I would prefer to go to work. But, I don't dwell on the negatives. I search for the positives. My fiancee, which, fortunately, is still working, seems to enjoy coming home to a clean house, the laundry done, and a meal on the table. I definitely have to give any homemaker credit. It's hard work taking care of a household. My case, being a male, is a bit unorthodox and for the biggest part, not the cliche norm, however, it seems to work. Why? Because we have made the best of a bad situation. Sure money is extremely short. But, we have embraced the situation and now enjoy more time together.

But...

I didn't get here automatically and immediately after my lay-off. It took a little while. Sure, I was stressed. I was mad. I was hurt, disappointed and worried. Each day I would concentrate on checking the "job boards", and sending my resume to prospective employers. A few would tell me that they wanted to hire me, but couldn't due to the "current economic conditions", and would keep my resume on file. Most didn't respond at all. This regiment continued as claustrophobia gradually set in. I started to become restless and depressed. I realized I needed something to look forward to. I started to get sick of being in the house.

Because I was bored and stagnate, I knew I had to do something positive to turn this around. So, I started writing. I now get up each day looking forward to writing. Yes, I am currently, actively and vigorously still seeking employment. But, I now have developed a routine of tidying the house, doing a load of laundry, and preparing dinner (A crock pot is the best thing next to sliced bread), all before noon. I then write in the afternoon. Whether it is a resume or an article or a story. It has had a therapeutic effect on me. The claustrophobia that I had once felt has mysteriously disappeared. I now feel like I've accomplished something even though I'm still unemployed.

Someday, I will be back to working again. I look forward to that day, but this hiccup in life hasn't gotten me down. It's only opened my eyes to what I am actually capable of.... and, even though, the day will come when I do go back to work. I intend to continue to write regardless.

Where did it lead me?

Well, I wrote "The Daytona Beach Alphabet". A piece detailing the many things to do around this area. I was recently contacted by the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau who requested using it for their website. I gladly let them and it should be posted soon. This boosted my self-confidence and motivated me to write even more.

The moral of all this seems to be that had I not been laid-off and became unemployed... I may have never written this. I had intentions of writing it, and I wanted to write it, but I never took the time. It took a life-changing moment to make this happen.

So, although you may be out of work and down on your luck, look into and embrace the situation. Pick yourself up and keep a smile on your face. It may be leading you to who you actually are and who you actually want to be.

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