The Twilight Zone

I recently had the rug pulled out from under me and crashing down I came. But my friends and family picked me right up and carried me as I unwillingly joined the ranks of the unemployed. I knew it was just a matter of time as I had survived years of lay-offs. Eventually the music would stop and I would be chair-less, it was bound to happen.

So now I find myself without the job I looked forward to everyday, without the job I excelled in and without the job I needed. I have lost so much; my family's health insurance, my paycheck and my work family. At the same time, however, I have gained a tremendous amount of insight. For example, my friends and family have been amazing. I have received several job leads, phone calls, flowers, cards and shoulders to cry on. I am learning that the people I thought were my friends, REALLY are my friends. They haven't avoided me like the "plague of unemployment" although it does feel like a plague at times, I must admit. I have learned how to make pancakes from scratch (good bye Aunt Jemima!) My daughter says they are the best pancakes she has ever had! I have learned that antibiotics are free at Meijer's (with a doctor's prescription, of course.) I have learned that the State of Michigan gives you $10,000 over a two year period to go back to school, and that COBRA is not your only option for medical insurance coverage (and it certainly isn't the cheapest.) I have resurrected my mother's shopping method of matching coupons to the sales posted in the local grocery store flyer. The list goes on. I am enjoying the birds at my bird feeders and so far I have seen purple finches, wrens, cardinals and chickadees. Although I hope to be working by summer, if not I will be watching for the hummingbirds. There IS a silver lining in every cloud.