Making Lemonade!

As the month winds down, so does my job. Almost another month to go. My previous workplace had waves of layoffs, but I never managed to be laid off. I was almost laid off once though. When I think about how stressful that time was, 2003 seems so far away. My husband was making $7 an hour at AVIS, my teeth were breaking, and we had just bought our house. Annnd hook-ups, bills and repairs were eating away at our savings. We barely qualified for our mortgage and in hindsight didn’t realize how much extra money one really needs when buying a home. It seemed like things would never get better, but then the day came when I realized that things were pretty good.

My husband was actually laid off in 2002. He grieved for his job for years. I felt so bad that there was nothing I could do to help him. Eventually he found another job he could love just as much. I suppose that's the point of this post - there's always something better out there!

When I was younger and woefully inexperienced at the working game, I had a manager who always yelled at me. I didn't realize that I could have filed a hostile workplace complaint. "Christine, this coffee isn't fresh!" "Christine, open the blinds!" Every time I heard my name hollered, I cringed, because I was usually doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Towards the end I was starting my morning in tears as I was the first one to arrive. Now, whenever I read on forums or blogs about people who have a hollering boss, I never hesitate to say "GO! Trust me, a better job is waiting for you!"

This optimism that something better is waiting is what brought my great-great-grandparents from Poland and my father from Greece. It's scary making that leap, but years later, those gut feelings are usually right. I'm trying really hard to stay on the path to being an artist.

My fellow soon to be unemployed co-worker and fellow Etsian BubblegumSass found this great movie called Lemonade. The tagline is "It's not a pink slip. It's a blank page." It is really good and I wish it had been around when my husband was laid off. It's very motivational and diverse in how the people profiled found new self-worth and meaning. If the trailer gives you goosebumps, you know you need to see it!