Welcome Back to Reality

I have been out of work for a long time.  I have a valid reason, but during hard times like these, that fact does not matter very much.  Staying home and raising small children was a noble venture and I was proud to be a stay at home mom.  

I have read all the articles about working moms vs. stay at home moms - which consequently set women up against one another over such a personal decision it's unfair to continue to print the articles at all.  I often read them, shook my head at both sides, and resigned to not caring what anyone thought of my choice to stay home.  I also refused to take part in the battles to prove my job was harder or more valuable or more important.  I was bound to end up finding someone who disagreed.  I am also fairly certain her points to disagree would have been just as valid as mine.  It was, and still is, a never ending unfair argument.

While we are busy fighting each other over who has it best, and who has it hardest we are missing the opportunities to network our strengths and stand together.  Women are strong; we thrive on helping others.  And yet we consistently don't.  We fight over who has the best shoes, the best husband, the brightest kids, the shiniest car, the cutest handbag, the most notable charity, the highest salary, the best lawn, the saddest childhood, the hardest challenges, the biggest problem.  Shouldn't we be caring instead of hating?

I was offered a good job this week.  I am in no position to be turning one down; after all I have been unemployed for half a decade.  I did turn it down though.  It was the realization that I was interviewing the restaurant and not the other way around.  I have to work, sure, but not at the expense of all my resources.  I have reliable and regular daycare.  I am available. It would have been fun to work in a truck stop diner.  Unfortunately, nights and weekends are out of the question.  I need to reserve my back up babysitting for actual emergencies, not occasional evenings and, oops!, every weekend.  I can't go around burning bridges before they are even finished being built.

I will find a job that works for me.  I have applied at more jobs that I can count.  They range from restaurants to corporate firms, call centers to retail stores, part time to full time.  Something will work out.  I will not remain unemployed for long.  

I do know one thing.  All these folks collecting unemployment, complaining that their benefits expire and they cannot be renewed again; the one's who swear they can not find a job.  I have news for them.  They aren't looking hard enough.  There are so many jobs out there right now, despite the rise in statistics we hear on the news night after lonely night.  They may not be super high paying jobs, or even super exciting jobs.  But when you're hungry - why does all that pride matter?  

I am turning into a girl who refuses to be dependent on anyone but myself.  After a long battle for my identity, that much is becoming very clear.  I have to find something; anything.  I will make it work.  You won't see me standing by the side of the freeway holding a sign in this lifetime.  No matter how hard it gets, I'm just going to work harder.