Most mornings I lie in bed and try to convince myself there's a reason to get up. I trudge out of my bedroom dazed, blinking at the new day, wondering how in the world I got here.
If you've ever been unemployed, you know how scary and disorienting it can be. The activity that defined your life and gave you purpose has been ripped away and you must find something to fill the gap. You know you should remain motivated and positive. You know this small setback is really a great opportunity, a chance to move forward, to reach out and grab a brighter future with both hands--but you know, you just don't have the energy.
For the past six years, working at my former job, I've often wished I had more time to do the things I wanted--exercise, walk in the park, sit in a coffee shop and drink expensive coffee while watching other people with time on their hands do the things they want. Now that I have the time, I can't. I feel paralyzed. Numb.
I'm supposed to be job hunting, of course. But since there's a glut of folks in LA doing the same the thing, it's not easy. Thus far, the prospects haven't been great. I do what I can.
Meanwhile, I should take the time to smell the flowers and read the morning paper. Maybe I could take in a weekday matinee or browse a museum, or go down to the beach and look out at the ocean.
Maybe I'll sign up for an arts and crafts class. Then I could use the want ads to make an origami butterfly.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Just Another Day in Obama's America
The unemployment roles are growing. The banks are failing. The economists are predicting dire consequences.
Down at the Capitol, the Republicans are lying and protecting their own interests, the Democrats are jockeying for position and the voters are sick of it all.
According to the Republicans, we can't afford to fix our schools, or pave our streets or shore up our bridges and dams. We can't afford to feed the hungry or care for the sick. We can, however, always afford more bombs. And more torture devices. (They must be cheap.) We can afford more tax cuts for the wealthy because that unsteady breed always seems to need more and more of our tender care.
The man responsible for fixing it all is being underestimated and second-guessed by cut-rate pundits and newscasters grasping at anything that resembles controversy, just to fill up dead air.
On the jobs front, Mr. Obama still has openings for a Commerce Secretary and a Health and Human Services Secretary, if you still haven't sent in your resume.
Down at the Capitol, the Republicans are lying and protecting their own interests, the Democrats are jockeying for position and the voters are sick of it all.
According to the Republicans, we can't afford to fix our schools, or pave our streets or shore up our bridges and dams. We can't afford to feed the hungry or care for the sick. We can, however, always afford more bombs. And more torture devices. (They must be cheap.) We can afford more tax cuts for the wealthy because that unsteady breed always seems to need more and more of our tender care.
The man responsible for fixing it all is being underestimated and second-guessed by cut-rate pundits and newscasters grasping at anything that resembles controversy, just to fill up dead air.
On the jobs front, Mr. Obama still has openings for a Commerce Secretary and a Health and Human Services Secretary, if you still haven't sent in your resume.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The 2008 Election Follies
I'm looking forward to the first Presidential debates between Barack Obama and John McCain, which will start in just a few minutes. I get the feeling that much of the rest of the country is too.
I gotta say, the 2008 Presidential election has been more entertaining than last season's American Idol. Unpredictable, wacky, in the spirit of the best farce. My husband and I watch each day's events and wonder how things could ever get more ludicrous and, sure enough, the next day tops it.
It's been a sad election too. I've heard far too many people say that the America they knew, the one they grew up with, the one they were proud to be a part of, is gone. In a way, I suppose it is. The lies told and the cynicism shown by some of our leaders have left us feeling like a country of lost souls. The Bush years have ripped the heart out of America and I wonder how we will overcome that.
We can overcome it, of course. We've been through worse. But it's to the advantage of the dividers and the polarizers to make us believe we can't.
We need to pull together as a nation and as a people. Roger Cohen of the New York Times had a terrific column about that topic. You can view it here.
Okay, it's time. I'm off to watch the debate and I hope you are too.
I gotta say, the 2008 Presidential election has been more entertaining than last season's American Idol. Unpredictable, wacky, in the spirit of the best farce. My husband and I watch each day's events and wonder how things could ever get more ludicrous and, sure enough, the next day tops it.
It's been a sad election too. I've heard far too many people say that the America they knew, the one they grew up with, the one they were proud to be a part of, is gone. In a way, I suppose it is. The lies told and the cynicism shown by some of our leaders have left us feeling like a country of lost souls. The Bush years have ripped the heart out of America and I wonder how we will overcome that.
We can overcome it, of course. We've been through worse. But it's to the advantage of the dividers and the polarizers to make us believe we can't.
We need to pull together as a nation and as a people. Roger Cohen of the New York Times had a terrific column about that topic. You can view it here.
Okay, it's time. I'm off to watch the debate and I hope you are too.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
