Unemployment Benefit…

 I have been unemployed (this time) since November 11, 2010 and I was sure I’d go stark raving mad. Having to start looking for a job all over again at my age is depressing and tiring. I have been through this cycle 3 or 4 times since I graduated from college in 1971 and each time I contemplated making an appointment with a psychiatrist because I’m not used to being idle for long periods of time. That’s probably my German ancestry kicking in. I like being busy and working at something productive. My career as a graphic designer has always given me a creative outlet. Each project I have been given is unique and even when a project is less creative than I would like, my mind is constantly working on something for future design projects. Interacting with clients and co-workers keeps me on my toes intellectually and artistically. (Of course I still like dogs better than I like people, my closest friends and family excepted.) But this time around seems different. First, I am closer to retirement. Second, my house needs cleaning out of all the collections and memorabilia I have hoarded over the years. My sister in Dallas belongs to a church that supports charities overseas and a band of Indians on a local Native American reservation. So I am cleaning out my “stuff” in anticipation of traveling lighter in the future. I’m sending her and my other sister in Minnesota those things I no longer need or want. They can use them or sell them.

When I began this purge I held each item that I was giving up, thought about how I felt when I acquired it, reasoned that I never used it anymore, resolved to put it into a box and send it to a new home. The first few items were difficult to part with because I grew up in a military family and each time we were transferred to a new post, I had to throw away most of my most treasured items. I spent the first 20 years of my life having to leave my things, every 1-3 years, in a garbage can so it is very difficult to divest myself of anything (even if I never use it). Now, 45 years later, I am ready to jettison my things so I can travel lighter. I want to be ready to go when the opportunity is there. Being attached to “things” can get expensive when I have to pack and store them each time I move. I like moving around and experiencing the cultures in different parts of the world and I don’t want to be tied down by “things”.

Having cleaned out most of the bedrooms, office, and the living room, I am now going through the kitchen and dining room. Lots of “stuff” in these two rooms that I really need to sell or donate. Most of it was given to me by my mother-in-law. That makes parting with it really emotional. These are her treasures, entrusted to me. She used these elegant dishes when she entertained formally back in the 1920s. Lifestyles change with each generation and we were two generations apart. I use disposable plates and cups when I entertain.

So my time now is split between cleaning out my house and applying for jobs on line and I am staying busy. Because the economy is still recovering (probably will be for some time to come) and because my maturity doesn’t exactly WOW a prospective employer, I will probably have ample time to finish cleaning out my house. This also might last long enough to take me up to the age when I can draw my full Social Security benefits, if they are still there after Congress finishes with the budget. I’m thinking this Unemployment Benefit was cosmically timed for me!!