I've been around kids all weekend, which has been fun. We had our son's 5th birthday party yesterday and had several other 5 year olds over to our house. It was a nice break just to celebrate this wonderful little guy. And, today, we went to the park and took advantage of the 60 degree day. The park was filled with other children who were playing with their parents and grandparents. We climbed and slid and spent a wonderful afternoon together, just the three of us. Everytime I look at him, my heart just swells with joy.
Spending so much time around these children got me to thinking - what if we could be more like children? Think about it for a second. First, kids don't care what kind of job you have. A job is just something that keeps you apart for several hours a day. As long as you have time to spend with them when the day is done - that's all they care about. Second, kids are thrilled by things that adults normally get annoyed by. Our son LOVES trains. The highlight of his day is if we get stopped by a passing train. Kids also love watching garbage trucks. Seeing the garbage person take the trash and dump it in the big truck, listening to the "bam, boom, crash, and seeing the yellow siren light on top of the truck is awesome to a child. Third, kids aren't prejudiced. A child is a child, no matter what race, nationality or religion. The only rules that matter to kids are "play nice", "wait your turn", and "share your toys with others". Plus, when kids fall down or get hurt, a kiss and a hug from Mom or Dad makes it all better.
Adults can learn a lot from their children. For one, see your job as just that-a job. It is not your life. This is hard for me because I take my job very seriously. Sometimes, it's hard to "turn it off" at 5:00 pm. I need to learn how to leave work at work and focus more on my family. Also, take time to enjoy the little things, even if it means being a few minutes late for work. On the way to work Friday, my son and I got caught by a train. It was so nice just sitting there with him, just watching the train, listening to the "clickety-clack" of the rails, and wondering where the train might be headed. There were cars who zoomed past us trying to get to the short cut around the tracks, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them, especially if they had children with them. They don't know what they are missing. And, it's important to see people for what they are-people. A person is not truly defined by their color, their nationality or their religion. They are defined by what they are in their heart.
And, when we are hurt and have fallen, it's still nice to have Mom or Dad to give you a big hug and tell you everything will be alright, even if they can't fix it.
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I've learned that there is more to life than just working. It pays the bills. But going through a lay-off in 2001 gave me things to think about. We spend perhaps as much as a third of our lives working to pay mortgages, bills, basically keeping up with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI've since then had a completely different set of priorities and have simplified my life. I have learned to live on less and I was all that big on stuff then either.
Life is a journey and it takes many turns. Perhaps a new business opportunity could be around the corner or the chance to take that long-awaited vacation. Things happen. You just deal with the best you can and move on.
I was laid off in Knoxville in January also. It is horrible and I can definitely understand where you are coming from. The same thing happened to me with Unemployment also!
ReplyDeleteI feel that I am spiraling downward into depression and I am fighting hard to avoid that consequence.
While my spouse is employed (thank goodness) we cannot afford our bills without two incomes. I have been applying for jobs like crazy and did get one interview but the job went to someone younger than me. I went on another interview but am still waiting to hear back on that one. We are going to be getting our house ready to put on the market. How very sad. We aren't sure how we are going to afford to actually move if the house sells.
So many emotions. I hate what this has done to my family and my spouse. I feel like a failure. Excellent reviews, hard worker, and unemployed. This is a nightmare.
I am checking back on your blog. I wrote a comment weeks back. It is interesting to see your positive progression to realizing that life is more than "the" job, car, house, etc. Live it. Enjoy it. People a hundred years ago got by with alot less than we have been "brainwashed" into thinking we need. I too had a job/business loss and found exactly what you are finding now. Appreciate the simple things. Your child, spouse, friends, time together, etc.
ReplyDeleteOne more tip from me, if you can get rid of TV watching especially cable you will be amazed at how much simpler life and less competitive life becomes. TV and media implant ideas of what you soon become to believe you need or are missing out on. If you can purge this worthless piece of electronics from your home you are much better off. Hard to do with kids that get "programmed" to watch things. But, try it, it works. You can still rent and enjoy movies and such. But, get rid of the blabber box (commercials, trendy shows, news, etc.) If you want an update on current topics , use the internet.
Good luck, sounds like you are doing pretty well to me. Even without dual employment.
One more thing. If you have a piano and or some other type of musical instrument start playing and singing together as a family. Kid the kid a bucket and let him be percussion. Or, borrow an instrument. If you have internet, you can learn to play from watching others on youtube. It really is an entertaining and creative way to spend time with friends and family. And, the cost is $0.00
ReplyDeleteshould say "Get the kid a bucket"
ReplyDeleteFolks, the simple fact of the matter is that the ways of the 20th century: degrees, resumes, etc... do not work today. They are nice, but how many people have resumes? How many people have degrees they aren't using?
ReplyDeleteThis forces us to accept reality and challenge our way of thinking about how we live our lives. Food, shelter, clothing, etc... have and always will be issues. But Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett didn't too badly and they didn't even have resumes.
Those who refuse to adapt will not survive. Those who are willing to change at least increase their likelihood of survival. We are literally in a fight for our very lives.
Rebuttal:
ReplyDeleteWow. There still is value in education. People do have to adapt, yep. I have been applying for jobs that I wouldn't have dreamt of, I have been networking like crazy and asking folks for their opinions on what they see as my strengths and weaknesses are to possibly start a business. Sure the country needs to get back to basics; but these are different times than Davy Crockett (and one if his descendants is a good friend of mine, LOL), and many of us are good people that have done the right thing as we were taught and we lost jobs through no fault of our own. There are bigger forces at play than our own wishes and actions.
We aren't just in a fight for our lives; we are in a fight for our country. This is big.
I agree with the Anonymous poster above on the TV. The news media has nothing positive to say anyway; I prefer to watch recorded shows and movies that are informative, historical, etc. without a new media influence. Oh, and the Vols games! :)