It happened. My wife lost her job.
Though it came as no surprise, it still came as a shock. Right now, she is reeling from the blow.
Though she lost her job to downsizing, it still raises unwelcome questions that come visiting in the night. Why me? Am I bad at what I do? Was it office politics? At my age, who will hire me?
These nagging questions have many answers but only one will silence them - another job.
In the meantime, the losses mount.
Losing a job means losing friends
Count the weekday hours, who do we spend the most time with? Our spouse? our kids? -- or our coworkers?
After security ushers us to the door, we call our former workmates and exchange promises to stay in touch, but we rarely do. The job is what brought us together and without the job, we drift apart.
It is like losing family.
Losing a job means losing a place to go
We like to complain about work. We look forward to vacations and dread returning to the office. So much so that even a sick day becomes a pleasure. We read, we watch Netflix, we lounge around the house - but it doesn't take long before time stretches thin and a hole forms in our day.
We look for ways to fill it. We clean the house. We busy ourselves with hobbies. We take another crack at fixing the leak under the sink. We try to stay busy - but busy is not the same as purpose - and the hole in our day grows wider and deeper.
Losing a job means losing money
It sets us back a square, even if it is only half an income. Losing a job wakes us up to the charges that sprout like weeds in our checking account.
We cut back on cable. We canceled the health-club membership. We prune away the dangling expenses that we so often ignore: Hulu-Plus. credit card interest, the data plan, subscriptions, fast food - and still that is not enough.
Life becomes like a tight shoe.
Losing a job means losing dreams
Retirement gets put on hold. The plans for a sun porch slip quietly into the desk drawer. Instead of a winter week in Florida, we dial down the thermostat and struggle into an old sweater.
Our horizons narrow as possibilities become impossibilities.
Losing a job means losing things we never considered
For us, this is the hardest.
Two years ago, my wife moved to our house in Southern Minnesota. Our plan was for her to work there until I joined her after I retired. She was lucky to find a job. Now that she lost it, she has moved back to the Twin Cities.
And she brought her cats with her.
Now I get to clean the catbox every day and though I joke about such things, it is no joke. Our condo association exists to obsess about rules. One of their regulations, regarding pets, forced us to make a Sophie’s choice and drive a terrified cat, wide-eyed and meowing, to the Humane Society.
That loss cut the deepest.
***
This week's challenge: write about losing a job.
- Write about looking for a job.
- Write about an interview that went horribly wrong or one that was a pleasant surprise.
- Write about how getting fired was the best thing that every happened to you.
***
Post your article to Gather Writing Essentials.
BE SURE TO TAG your submission with MWE. Note: I search for articles using the tag "MWE" If you don't tag it right, I will not find it.
Include "Monday Writing Essential" in your title.
- Try to post by next Monday but don't worry if you don't finish in time. I will be glad to include your post the next week.
***
Last week the challenge was write about all the little things that come back to us and it drew the following responses:
Monday Writing Essential: Space Skyfall by Vj McMullan
MWE--karma feb4/13 by karen vaughan
Ugh, I feel sick (MWE: February 4th, 2013) by Angela A.
For Want Of A Quarter: Monday Writing Essential by Doug Westberg
THE FIERY END OF THE REVEREND JOSIAH PYKE (Monday Writing Essential) by Peter Rogerson
Weekly reminder: don't forget to recommend an article that you like (to learn why, read Ann Marcaida's article Attract More Writers and Artists to Gather!).. Also try to place a comment on at least one article and say more than you liked the piece. Tell the author what worked and what needs work.
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Comments: 98 ( 1 removed by Greg Schiller )
Featured on Gather’s Luminous Writers & Artists.
(I had to look it up, too.)
I don't know her qualifications, but I just posted this job opening.
Good Luck
On the other hand, a friend of mine is a labor lawyer. He has a great saying, "Companies that are unionized - deserve it."
I sincerely hope that life smiles on you.
We also had a similar experience. But we got out before that came! After that the experiences were similar.
My wife turned to practice (implementing ISO standards) and found her second love of life! (First is our daughter!). I am yet to be all on my own.... but we go on, because we never indulged in luxury.
It is very difficult as far as memories never heal. But we would do well to remember Scarlett O' Hara, should think about it when we can stand it and now do whatever next!
Thank you for sharing and submitting to
The Surreal Circus.
You shoulda seen her eyes bug out when I handed over my documentation on the the jobs I did - she'd forgotten about a number of reports I handled. Thing was, she ended up hiring several part-timers and student workers within 6 months of laying us off.
I did find something within 3 months, but it was one more trauma on top of several; I had a hard time, still doubt myself.
She'll be OK, and is lucky to have your full support and understanding...
I lost my job after 11 years of working there. I never knew just how much I truly loved that place until I was no longer there. Luckily, I found a new job and gained new friends.
My hubby did not ever find a new job and he probably never will. He has too many medical issues
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When we live simply we can simply survive.
Each year since we retired we have lost 4% more of our retirement income from Wisconsin Retirement System. Mix that with price increases and it is a grim picture.
That was when we decided to open our own business. We did it on a shoe string and no one thought we'd last. We opened up in 1997 and have seen a lot businesses of our type go under. We're still alive. My story would be that bad turned into good.
Oh, when we told that last company that I was resigning and opening up my own business, the President tried to choke me.
Though whatever comes, we'll deal with it.
I'm a tad confused - why did you have to take one of your cats to the Humane Society? Is it no kill? I thought you lived in the great man cabin outdoorsy type of place where you could have cats roaming all around?
Since the odds of finding work down there are near nill, she moved up to the condo to live with me.
one of those gosh dern new fanagled type arrangements....
And living with you is preferable to looking for work in a no-work zone? times are bad! Kidding, of course...lol.
Why did you quit jobs?
I always found the workplace a jungle.
Other, less prestigious jobs were hated. I never liked my bosses, or co-workers. I am one of those people who work better as a solitary worker. Child Protective services were the most perfect in that respect as we basically were on our own. It was the few times we weren't that were torture for me. I don't mind working on my own, from the comfort of my home - as long as I don't have to do anything else. These days, I write for crap pay online articles for a place that outsources. Plus, I have a part time dog walking job. One is for exercise, the other for my laziness. Both are based on my inability to work with others. I was never a "team player".
Thank you for submitting to: Not Gathering Dust!
A sweet and lovely piece (in a tragic sort of way), Greg. One I can relate to based on "Pan Am's" augering-in (pilot talk for "went out of business") at the end of 1992; the first time I'd been "out of work" in 25 years of military and civilian flying.
I can really identify with most of the "collateral damage" you've done a wonderful job underscoring -- financial repercussions and emotional trauma those who've never lost a job might find hard to imagine.
Providentially -- works better than "luck," which is "50-50" in the long-haul -- when United bought Pan Am's South American routes as part of the bankruptcy settlement, the PAA pilots who didn't go to Delta (900 of 1600 that were still on board -- I had dropped out of the right seat of a 727 back to flight engineer; and was on a furlough list in the last two months before the end) were promised and received interviews with United (which had only been hiring minorities and women for the previous six or seven years due to a government "cease and desist order").
Blessed to have a great interview (so good in fact that I actually said: "I'm glad you asked that question" several times, as I knew I had the perfect answer) and another 11 years as an airline pilot, while the Pan Am guy I was with in the interview waiting room didn't make it.
Once everything played out it turned into a "Very Real Blessing in Disguise," financially, career-wise, airplane-wise and pension-wise. So "Keep the Faith," Greg, you never know what the "Long Term Pluses" of "Short Term Circumstances" are going to be.