On Jobs and Joblessness without DINK

Either I’m really obtuse or a lot of people love misery and being miserable. I understand that people don’t want me to be without a job and that I need a job to live and that I need insurance and all of the goodies that go along with having a job. However, I’m not sweating yet and I don’t think anyone should sweat for me until I start hovering above repossession of my shit. I have a friend who recently lost his job and I have to wonder how much of his freaking out is because everyone else is helping him freak out? Everyone?!

Everyone asks how work is going. “How’s work going?” they’ll all say. “I don’t know,” I reply. “I haven’t been there for over a month.” “Did you get FIRED?” is the next question. “Yes. They found out that I was taking pot on the clock. I have such a history of bad behavior.” How rude is that? Why can’t you say, “What happened?” I’ll explain and we can resume our conversation without the uncomfortable silence that follows because I am unemployed and tomorrow I’ll be living in a van down by the river. This must be what stay-at-home-moms feel like. I have purpose, people. I have loose ends that need to be tied up and I just got some fresh rope. Mission: I’m on one.

I’ve had a job pretty much since I was 13 years old, you can look at my tax history and see that. I’ve filed a return every year since 1987. That means work. 1987-2011 = 24 years. Now do I think that I’ve paid my dues and that I deserve to sit at home eating bon-bons and watching Jerry Springer reruns? Hell-to-the-NO. (Besides that show is like a family reunion.. I don’t need that kind of chronicle in my life.) It’s a month. If I’m unhirable after a month, then I was never hirable in the first place.

People get so caught up in the details and the what-ifs. I get that they have to go to work every day and that they have a job to do and kids to support and colleges to pay for. I don’t. Double Income, No Kids (DINK.) No one is going hungry while I’m off work. No one is going to miss me at my old job, as a matter of fact, they have decided not to replace me. That to me says I worked myself out of a job. That I made the system to efficient that you don’t need entire person eating up salaries and stuff while you sit on your HUGE ass collecting $50,700/year, living in your parents basement while bitching about your Consumer Credit Counseling mess and buying stuff on Amazon every time I walk into your office. Goodness…bitter is hard to move past, no?

Again, I’m going to take this month and not flip out. Relax, not spend money and just recenter. Maybe I’ll volunteer or something. I have the time, right? Don’t stub your toe on my soapbox.

That is all.