Anonymous writes:I know I've thought a lot about these topics, as my hours have been cut further and further over the last 3 months. It finally culminated in me being laid off last Wednesday. After being at a company for 7 years, it's weird not to work there anymore, but to be perfectly honest, I was
getting burnt out and letting the stress get to me way too much. It's also a kick in the butt to finish the book I've been working on and some of my other artistic projects that may prove lucrative somewhere down the line. That and I did get a small severance package, so I can finally afford the dental surgery I've been needing and collect the unemployment while I recover. In many ways, it's a blessing in disguise.
But it is amazing just how much you can really cut back when you have to. And the internet makes it a little easier to bear. (I consider internet one of my necessities, as I need it to be able to do freelance work when it presents itself, not just for entertainment purposes.) You can read
most articles from major magazines online. You can watch many network TV shows online. You can get free entertainment via podcasts online. You can talk to friends and family over the net without running up a phone bill.
With all this free time I'm going to have (because let's face it, there's not much opportunities for work right now in any field, let alone mine), I'm thinking of signing up to volunteer at my local animal shelter. I love animals, and now that I've lost my job I'm not going to be able to get a
puppy like I had planned for awhile longer. Why not give some love & time to animals who don't have homes yet? As far as helping out my fellow humans, I've rounded up a large donation of clothes, shoes, blankets, etc. to give to my local Goodwill. I have a few winter coats I've outgrown that someone else may find useful up here in the frozen North. I find myself going through all this *stuff* I've accumulated over the years and asking myself how much of this was really necessary, and what can I either live without, or give to someone else who needs it? I always prided myself on being frugal for the most part, but now I'm realizing even I have gone overboard in some areas.
Optimist that I am, I just keep telling myself that we're going to be just fine. LOL I'm sure some things are going to be rough once the money starts getting even tighter. But I find myself being rather philosophical about the whole thing. The job I was doing wasn't the right fit for me, but I would've stayed with it for years if I hadn't been pushed out. I plan to use this time wisely and figure out just what it is I really want to be doing.
Image: "Martin Luther King Jr." by Dave McKeague
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