We Interrupt this Broad Cast . . .from A Journey Through the Stages

We Interrupt this Blog Cast . . . A Virtual Commercial

     I have been chronicling my recent trip to Washington, DC during the past few days in hopes of abating the anxiety that occasionally builds from my recent layoff. Actually, the trip has done wonders for my outlook and I feel more hopeful than I did, even a week ago.

     A recent reader of my blog suggested that, perhaps incorporating a little levity into my world of woe would bring a lighter tone to the overall topic as the timing of the subject matter is quite sensitive to my audience.  So here it is, a “virtual commercial” if you will, of my life in a light hearted moment. Take care to notice the silly tone in my words; my fodder is true life experience.

     Meet Big Boy. He’s a 115 lb canine from the family of Presacanarios. His daunting face and wide head give him an overall mean appearance, but really, he is as playful as a puppy.  Big Boy is about 4 years old and was abandoned by his previous owner; he was found wandering down a dirt road near the St. John’s Reserve. Rescued by a local woodsman, this animal now resides with his rescuer and has been well taken care of ever since.

     I have come to know Big Boy through my extended visits to Melbourne; I house sit for his family while they vacation in Alaska every summer. Big Boy loves to chase balls (I use a partially deflated basket ball), and enjoys long walks. He also loves to play in the nearby canal which both scares and irritates me because I don’t want him to get eaten by a gator, nor do I want to try and bathe this massive creature, who weighs every bit as much as I do, after he wallows in the mud bogged canals of the St. Johns Reserve.  Even still, Big Boy is my companion during my early morning runs; I feel safer running down the two mile stretch of packed dirt clay that abuts Malabar Road, accompanied by my four-legged chaperone.

     Big Boy’s interests are basic: eat, play, nap, and chase small critters. He lives his day as a hunter of sorts, groveling in mud treasures mounded along side of the five acre property owned by his master. He recently brought home a prize which gave pause to my outdoor enthusiasm: an entire side of decomposing hog ribs complete with crawling ants and a stench that would draw a nest of hungry vultures.  As I approached Big Boy, he gnawed on the bones of the decayed animal and playfully looked up at me -willing to share his indulgence.

     On another occasion during an early morning run, 10 minutes into my warm up, I happened upon what I thought were sticks, scattered in the road, right in the path of my running.  As I approached, I could see they were not ordinary “sticks.” They were, much to the gnawing fear brewing inside me, half eaten legs of an animal-perhaps a wild hog or something. At this point, I could no longer contain the uncomfortable foreboding feeling-creeping over me, and with swift resolve I picked up my pace.

     With Big Boy running alongside of me, I felt safe from would be attackers, albeit if they were human; however, I was not prepared for the possibility of confronting an animal attacker. My mind replayed scenes of movies where animals took out humans, limb from limb. Good thing I was running in the morning, I thought to myself, at least my remains would be found by high noon.

     Eventually the end of the dirt road met with tarmac and I entered civilization complete with paved side walk. Big Boy loved running next to the open field where a barb wire fence separated him from a pasture of cows. He didn’t lunge at them, or even bark. He seemed content knowing that he was with me, running in the open – a care free canine.

     Big Boy ran around throughout the course of my run, occasionally jumping in and out of the nearby canal to cool himself and hunt for – whatever! The lesson I took away that day is simple. Not everything is what it appears to be; not all half eaten animal legs come from the attack of a predator, and life can be a little more enjoyable in the breath of a carefree moment. Big Boy offered these things as well as the safety of his daunting presence; his stature alone steeled my resolve: I am safe, and I am content, in my Journey Through the Stages of Unemployment.

A Journey Through the Stages of Unemployment

Stage 3

          A wistful ride on DC’s Metro – I Digress.

     The experience on the DC metro caused me to think back to the days preceding my DC trip. I had just completed a seminar sponsored by Workforce Connection where the main speaker was employed by Monster.com. Reliving some of the conversations and phrases that were spoken during the class, I was reminded how easily it is for someone to slip back into an inferior mindset. . . 

     There I sat on the DC Metro next to complete stranger dressed in business attire. He did not appear as one who wanted to engage in conversation, so I said nothing and shifting uncomfortably, looked out the window. While waiting for my stop, I wondered to myself how many of the business clientele on the metro had landed a job without the aid of a lead, friend or connection. I kept my thoughts to myself but all I could think of was – surely this is not the way it is done!  

    I remembered what Aeries, the speaker at the seminar, said about getting out and networking with others.  Aeries made job searching sound so effortless, but in reality, looking for employment is a full time job. She’d explained that it was not just one’s credentials that landed a job; it was a series of events that were connected, sort of like leads. One contact may not yield a job, but it could possibly open doors to another lead. Eventually the right source would net a position for you, albeit through connections, leads, and with the appropriate education & experience.       

     As the Metro chugged along and I waited for my stop, I continued the slide down into the dark recess of my mind. I maintained my sanity and clarity, though it was masked by my emotionless expression, and my sun glasses. There I sat, reliving that frightful day in the crowded auditorium, filled with unemployed people. This did nothing but dredge up the hidden anxiety that had lain dormant until now. I remembered my first impression walking up to register for the event. I saw the long line of people and thought nothing about it. I figured they were all registering for various summer classes since it (the seminar) was being held in the auditorium of a local college.  How wrong I was!

     I entered the building and walked to the back of the line waiting patiently for my turn to approach the registration table. As I waited, more people lined up behind me.  My heart and countenance literally sunk as I saw the number of unemployed people seeking assistance. I felt like a small speck in such a huge pool of applicants. Even more disturbing, I thought, were the number of folks who had to be close to retirement age.  They looked to be in their mid to late fifties –perhaps just a couple of years or so from retirement.  My guess was simple: these folks were the people who had worked in the same position or for the same company for years, maybe a couple of decades or more. They were the ones who were the first to get “downsized” because they’d been there the longest and perhaps were making more than what a “new hire” would earn.

     As I took my seat in the auditorium after registration, a pit of nausea welled up in my stomach. I sat for the first few minutes in disbelief at the sheer volume of people in the room. Oh yes, I had been aware of the economic down turn. Yes, I had been aware and had read daily about the people who continued to lose their jobs.  But coming face to face with those printed statistics who were now robed in flesh made me realize the magnitude of our current recession. These were people!  And people had faces!  I looked directly into the eyes of those “statistics” and saw the hurt and pain that was clearly evident. Until then, even after my own lay off, numbers or “stats” of unemployed people were just that – numbers.

   Since that day I’ve realized that people are so much more than just numbers. Not that I didn’t already subconsciously know that, but I am now more acutely aware of the significance a person feels while employed, and how insignificant one can feel -when he is not.  

     My thoughts end abruptly as the Metro pulls into my station and I begin to gather my belongings.  I am visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum today and learning about the travels of yesteryear; perhaps a glimpse of the past will inspire and enlighten me, as I Journey through The Stages of Unemployment.