Alicia, Steve and Tony - Amen!



As someone who has been stumbling through depression and unemployment because of events that happened to me in the past year and a half, I can guarantee that someone telling you "just feel different" is not at all helpful. I am lucky in that I am older and have savings and investments that are carrying me through this difficult time, for now. But a lot of that was luck, operating independently of my considerable pluck and hard work. I have worked extremely hard in my life and given my soul to the people I worked for, but that did not help. I just happened to have some luck and I have had some support when I was down. Things are so different than they were 20 years ago in terms of the job market and the assistance that is no longer available. It is really not fair to compare people's experiences from their past.



I want to pass along a story about my friend, Amber.



I had a friend, Amber, who loved animals and who decided to work as a vet tech. She did that for a few years, but secretly nourished a dream to go to vet school. She finally did it. Tragically, she died last year, just a few months before graduation, from unknown causes, in her sleep. She was an extremely heatlhy woman in her 30's who biked across Iowa and competed in triathalons. She didn't have a lot of cash at any time in her life, but made decisions for her heart and I am still in awe of her bravery and resolve. I am glad that when she decided to go for her dream and not just work in the IT field because it was a fast return on her investment. Instead, the short years of her life were filled with joy. This is a very hard economy and we have to make some hard decisions, but there is something to be said for following your heart. Sometimes, that may land you on a couch, but I pray that there is something in the human soul that makes us reach for deeper meaning and answers from this precious gift we have of life.



By the way, "just get a job waiting tables"? Getting a job waiting tables is not that easy to find if you don't have experience.



I respect Jen for taking some time to figure things out in her life. I am glad people are here to support her.