I can't believe it has been 365 days since I was laid off from my job of 25 years. So much has happened in that year. I boarded the unemployment train, which let me just tell you, is not really a "free ride." I heard from many friends and family how unemployment was for dead beats and low lifes and that I was now part of Obama's socialist agenda. I had to go from gas station, to dollar store, to grocery store asking if they were hiring, only to be told no week after week, month after month. I had to report to my unemployment officer every few weeks. My favorite part was taking training classes on how to apply and interview for a job. I have worked since I was 14 years old. I was not very surprised when I ended up "teaching" most of my other classmates interview skills. A month after I lost my job my husband accepted a job 800 miles away. We were lucky that he got a great job that allowed him to afford a crappy hotel and still pay our bills on our home in Georgia. Our house had been on the market for over 18 months with no interest. Not only is the job market crappy in Georgia but the housing market sucks too.
After living apart for four months we made the very hard decision to walk away from our house. We had lowered the price $100,000 and still had no lookers. We have always paid our bills on time so we had great credit. We were smart and signed a 2 year lease while our credit was still great. Walking away was one of the hardest decisions we have ever made. But I couldn't see paying on a house each month that was losing value every day. We lost a LOT of money but at this point we were just trying not to lose any more. Again, we became some of "those people". A drain on society. We had one banker tell us it was "our moral obligation to continue paying our mortgage". I think he should visit Wall Street and Corporate America and inform them of their moral obligation while he's at it. When my former employer told me I was to become one of the unemployed, I was furious. How could they do that to me after 25 years of loyal service? What would happen to me? How would I survive? But after 365 days I only have one thing to say. "Thanks Borders!!!" Because of that one horrible decision my life has been turned upside down. That decision spawned several other decisions that have improved my life ten fold. My husband looked for a job outside of Georgia. We now live in Virginia, 30 minutes from DC! I love being a stay at home mom. I spend more time with my husband and my children. We visit Washington, DC at least once a month. My children have experienced snow and sledding for the first time in their lives. My children have friends. We aren't considered crazy because we are Democrats. In general, life is good. I hate the saying, "When God closes one door, he opens a window", and I got really tired of hearing it. But now I see that sometimes a bad thing can lead to many, many good things. Looking back to that last day on the job, I was scared and confused about what the future held. I can't believe how happy I am. What a difference 365 days make.