Princeton defines "idle" as "not in action or at work." Well, duh. Then I get to yourdictionary.com and there you have it: "having no value, use or significance; worthless; useless idle talk; vain; futile; pointless an idle wish." Oh - why go on?
I haven't posted for lack of anything to say. I have been thoroughly idle. Until today. I got a job - yes, after three years of holding the crown, I am about to relinquish it to the lowliest of bidders - would you like that with or without thorns?
Funny, when you're a kid you think, "I can't wait to be an adult and not have to go to school and take all this crap from people and make my own decisions." Then you get to be an adult and think, "God, I wish I didn't have to go to work and take all this shit from people and let someone else make all the decisions."
And so you lose your job. At first it's kind of cool. You get unemployment, and then you extend unemployment and then you start in on your savings, knowing that's not going to go down too far because, hey, you'll get a job. And you sleep in every morning and then go for a walk with the dog to get your coffee and wave at all the neighbors pulling out of their driveways for their various employments and think how lucky you are to have your "freedom" and not have to take any shit from anybody or be strapped into a cubicle somewhere downtown or make any stupid decisions. Like what to do about nuclear disarmament or what font to use for the Earth Day bus poster.
And time goes on and you've read several books and taken a couple of day trips and cleaned out the closets and done some landscaping. Because you have an adult conscience, you think maybe you should start checking out craigslist or the Times for jobs. And you warily apply for a couple because you don't really want to go back too fast, just stretch your search muscle a little and no one replies. So you go to LinkedIn and Monster.com and a couple of other networking sites and enter some information and then lie back and read another book. And no one replies.
Hmmm. Savings is going down. So you make a few phone calls to friends in "the biz" and ask what's up and who's where and find out that there's layoffs going on everywhere - Liz from PR had her hours cut in half and even had to get a job at CostCo bakery starting at minimum wage and 4 o'clock in morning just to pay for her heating bills. Joe Schmo from Research got cut totally and just started auto mechanic school because he couldn't find a job anywhere.
Okay, never mind, don't stress, what have you always done before? Hit the streets, shake some hands, sell yourself and get a job. I mean, it's always worked before and I really don't want to have to cut into my 401K or sell my car...
There's nothing in your field. And there's nothing in anyone else's field either. And you find yourself hitting the pavement with your resume - but no one wants to see it. Because they're all hiring "online" now - "No, I'm sorry, you can't speak with a manager. We only take applications online." And you get all kinds of emails saying you're overqualified or that they thank you for your information but they are going "in another direction" this time.
So you go to temp agencies and register and they have no work at this time. Geophysicists are now becoming temporary typists and PhD-holding teachers are receptionists. Call again tomorrow. And then next week. And then next month.
And your savings is gone and now you have to sell the car and cash out your 401ks and there goes your kid's college fund and the tiny inheritance (it seemed big once) from Uncle Bob. Sell a few pieces of gold maybe, an old 50s designer chair? Now you find yourself standing on line at the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, the only one with all their teeth, waiting to take a number to talk to someone about food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Your grandfather would roll in his grave! And your daughter asks you, "Mom, are we poor?"
Past due notices, pre-existing-conditions-not-covered issuances, disconnections, foreclosure and a $10 check from great-aunt Lena are the only things you get in the mail anymore. Forget about the root canal, baby, you got to eat!
And so on and so on. Not to mention that subtle attitude from certain "friends" who aren't really certain you've made a true enough effort.
So what DO you do with your days now? Well, how much can you clean? And then how much can you maintain? How many walks can you take? How much does a class cost, how much can you read, how many weeds can you pull - where are your friends?
At work.
And so, after three years of widdling your life down to within a two block radius and a spot you've been staring at incessantly on the bedroom ceiling - you find a job. And where will you be next week?
At work.
Welcome to America Today.
I'm massively grateful for my new job.
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