I’ve spewed a bit about my recent job loss and diminished financial circumstances, but to be honest my recent upheavals haven’t been all bad. That doesn’t mean I’m content with my current circumstances, just that not all the changes have been bad. So here are some good things that have happened to me:
More time with the family - granted, I wasn’t expecting 5 months of 24/7 with the spouse, but more time together has been good and I feel like, after three years of lurching from one crisis to another, with several months-long separations to care for ailing family members, we are becoming reacquainted again.
I have finally caught up on my rest - yes, that 5 months of unemployment allowed me to get extra sleep (even with looking for employment) so for the first time in a long time I no longer feel like I’m worn down and exhausted.
Sharply reduced phone bills - because we aren’t having those months-long separations we aren’t calling each other from another state every day to go “oooo - I miss you Cuddly-wudgem-squdgems!” and other silly things. No, now we do that in person. Much cheaper.
I have rediscovered the joy of cooking - due to financial constraints I am doing more cooking from scratch, but you know, I enjoy that when I have the time to do it, and time is one thing I’ve had an abundance of lately.
I have rediscovered the joy (and frustrations) of gardening - at my prior job the commute left me no time, and the job left me no energy to garden. This year, I’m growing some of my own food - we just got our first turnips last night and we’ve been harvesting spinach and radishes for a couple weeks now. In addition to helping with the food bill and satisfying the nature-worshipping Pagan in me, it just plain TASTES better 5 minutes out of the ground.
I don’t wait in lines as often - because I can shop, bank, etc. in the middle of the weekday lines are short and the retail people I deal with less stressed and more sane than on evenings and weekends.
I’m in better shape than I have been in a couple years - between eating good, home-cooked meals made with fresh food and the physical requirements of my new employment (which is still not enough money, but it IS progress…) I’m stronger and healthier than I’ve been for at least two years and possibly more. Since I have no medical insurance at the moment this is a very good thing indeed.
Life still isn’t perfect, I still have a lot of worries, I still need a higher paying job, but the funny thing is that, despite some of my bitching here, I am happier now than I was a year ago. Yeah, that’s how bad the job had become.