After I lost my job, one of the things I treated myself to was a pair of noise cancelling headphones. While they don't totally block out the sound of my child screaming (out of pure joy), when paired with the calming sounds of rain, it blocks out most noise, allowing me to write in this small basement apartment.
For being unemployed, time passes just as fast as it did when I was working. Without a second thought, seconds become minutes become hours become days. The job search has been much harder and taken longer than I thought. Nearly broke my heart today telling my sister-in-law that after ten years, the well has run dry. TBH, I pray that I can find a job just so they don't have to go hungry.
In he area where I live, most jobs have over 100 individuals that apply for each job. The exact number I'm unsure of because the LinkedIn counter stops at 99+. I've never experienced anything like this before. I've had several firsts - first time I've had to apply for unemployment, first time I couldn't pay a bill. Now I find myself applying for WIC, and it's absolutely mind-blowing to me.
Realistically, though, life could be much worse. I could have cancer. I could be on Death Row, or I could have a horrible family. I could have no hope, no promise of tomorrow. I could be like the young lady I saw in the store day, walking on prosthetics, or the man who lives in another country in poverty, depending daily on his food supply.
I've not written too much these last few months because they're not been much to say. I do all I can to be positive and to have faith that "all works together for good." And while there are some positive days, there's also the negative ones, the hard ones. But I've been blessed - I have the right friends there when I need them, some who help without even knowing it.
The night is winding down. Today looked liked spring, but doesn't feel like it, well not yet at least. So I take a moment, put on my headphones, and listen as the rain falls again.
