Bro4 was out of work several years ago and slowly taking on
every attribute of the couch. The
remote control melted into his hand, and his depression was a black fog
staining the walls and shortening the life span of anyone who breathed it very
long.
"Get a job!"
"Nobody's hiring."
That conversation went around in circles. I snapped
"There's more than one reason to have a job!" It's grounding, gives you a reason to brush
your teeth and get dressed. It's a place
to go every day and be social with others.
You can do something useful and feel accomplishment...
To be honest, I don't really remember which gems of wisdom I
spit out in frustration, but I can be really eloquent when I lose it. Wish I could remember all of it and could be
that eloquent without the emotions.
Also wish I'd follow my own advice when I've melted in the couch. I know about the importance of work because
I've been laid off too.
This morning one of my ladies listed why I like my job. I love my ladies, close to home, use my
writing and design skills, use my mind.
Thanks for the reminder and a voice of sanity! (Especially important since we're still in the process of office
moving.)
Anyway, Bro took the lesson to heart and got himself a
job. He was better for it because in
the end he agreed with me; he likes to work and likes accomplishing things.
I've thought about this conversation through the years
because I've been laid off a time or two since then. It's hard to think about the other rewards of employment when you
can't pay the bills, but once you have a job it's easy to get mired in the
situation and forget about those other things that make work important.
It doesn't have to be a job with a paycheck, but we need to
do something to feel fulfilled. One of
my volunteers asked for a raise a while ago.
"Sure! We love you and will
give you anything you want. 50% raise
for you!" Which of course made
everyone laugh because 50% of 0 is still 0, but we do love and appreciate
her. That's the important thing.
I currently work around a lot of older people. Many can't get around very well, but they're
involved and contribute. They do what
they want and what they can. It makes
me very aware how long people actually live and how important their
contributions can be. I really want to
keep this in mind when I'm their age.
I'll always work in some way, but I hope at some point my
"work" is stuff I choose like painting my floor, saving trees, baking
pies for orphans, or something. No
matter what your abilities, there's always work worth doing -- and you will be
better off for doing it.
This spider posed in the bathroom for a couple of
days. I was concerned Bro2 would evict
it, but he asked "Why would I get rid of it?" Clearly, we're from the same pod. I wonder if anyone will try to kill the
painted version when they come to visit, or if other spiders will run away or
try to mate with it. I'll admit I got
creeped out after printing full-page reference of it, but generally, I get
along with them as long as they eat the bugs I don't like. Besides, my spider is only 1 1/2" long
instead of filling a full piece of paper.
My camera doesn't like taking pictures of my floor, especially
details. Sorry things are a little blurry.
Completely unrelated, but connected to last week's word "people", I went to a slip and slide kickball party last weekend. It was hosted by my nephew and his wife at the house where I grew up and where Bro3 currently lives. No, I'm not stupid enough to actually play, but I had fun watching.
Completely unrelated, but connected to last week's word "people", I went to a slip and slide kickball party last weekend. It was hosted by my nephew and his wife at the house where I grew up and where Bro3 currently lives. No, I'm not stupid enough to actually play, but I had fun watching.
Big ball for the game because this certainly wasn't about athletic skill |
Hostess makes first base! |
Cheerleaders |
Host makes second base! |
Great nephew and his girlfriends, playing games of their own choosing |
And then there's this last photo of my great niece in the apple tree where I spent quite a bit of my childhood escaping things. The party was a bit rowdy for her and she went up the tree, just like I would've done. Stretching out on a branch I used to stretch out on. She's an absolutely adorable child, beautiful in both appearance and personality. The sun came through the trees just right and all she needs is to unfurl her fairy wings.