We covered the surprising and the unexpected upsides to unemployment.
Family time, good dinners, working out, cleaner house and more free time – all have been very positive aspects to losing my job.
There are negative points as well. Some are the traditional – some are just ridiculous to imagine. Here we go:
Unemployment is really hard on the fingernails. Really – trust me on this one! The constant cleaning with various chemicals softens nails. Always having my hands in water for the dishes or the laundry or wiping down the bathrooms makes them a peeling mess. I know the lotion thing helps and it does. But, man it is tough on nails. A by-product of the professional life these last few years has been really nice nails. Not so much now. Lotion, polish, filing, trimming – trying to keep the jagged edges from snagging clothes and tearing more of the nail off is hard work. Using them as wallpaper scrapers doesn’t help either. I have trimmed them back and rounded the edges to try and keep them neat and unbroken. I am not happy about it though.
And why does my hair look good now? I have ridiculously curly short hair. All of the sudden this week it decides to cooperate. 40 plus years it has been the bane of my daily routine. This week it looks great! Why?
There is a lot to do around here. We haven’t taken very good care of the house lately. So, I find myself doing those projects that have needed to be done for a long time. I just started taking the hideous wallpaper down in the kitchen. Man it is ugly. But, it was there when we moved in and it is a big kitchen. That is a lot of work taking that down. It is everywhere. Some places it peels off nicely. Some places you need a blow torch and a chisel. I have taken down wallpaper many times. I hate the stuff. I think there should be a law that if you are going to put up wallpaper you have to take it with you when you leave. Hard work and lots of effort are the only ways to get it off. Then I get to clean and prep the walls for paint. I think it will have to be the same color as the sitting room as they run together. Let’s see if I can find that paint color again!!
I don’t have a constant income anymore. I am trying not to spend too much time thinking about that one. Gainful employment is a tough one for a lot of people – not just me. If I think about it too much I make myself a lot crazy. I have a small part-time job and I can keep expenses to as low as possible. Combine trips out – grocery store once a week with a list – use the a/c less – use more natural light and keep the lights in the house off as long as I can. Every little bit helps. That being said I need to open the blinds and turn off the overhead light here in the office.
The four-legged furry people that live here require a lot of attention during the day. Husband says it is just me. They don’t do that to him when he is here alone with them. I am just that special I guess. The gray fuzzy one that crawls all over the desk, blocks the computer screen as he is investigating the contents of the pen cup is a real joy. The constant rubbing and scratching as each in turn come to the desk for my attention is not so bad. The whining and fussing and scratching my ankles when I don’t rub or scratch is enough to make you wish you didn’t ever bring one home. Which is a good point actually. All these rescues were perpetrated by the now college student who is a lot too busy for them all. Hmmm, maybe that was her master plan all along. Save the furry people from eminent demise for Mom to care for in her advancing years. She has been threatened with eviction should she bring one more through the door – any door – any creature.
Being suddenly unemployed is a little bit lonely. Having worked for some years with the same ever shrinking group of people a lot of your social time is spent at the job with those same people. Life changes happen and you all share in those. Births, deaths, anniversaries, day-to-day life are all part of your normal work routine. When you are removed from that setting with no warning and with no preparation it is very disconcerting. You don’t have the interaction with your friends/co-workers in which you have become accustomed. You feel left-out. Everyone else is still sharing with each other but not you. I now have to rebuild relationships that have been neglected and try to create new ones. I have relied on work for new relationships. Not sure I remember how to start one now.
I am certain I will find more positives as I go through this journey and more negatives as well. The job market is tough out there. I expect to be traveling this road for awhile.
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