Labor Day Weekend Update

I hope you are having a wonderful Labor Day Weekend if you are in the USA. If you are in another country, may your weekend be fun and everything you want it to be! This year is really moving along at a fast clip. It is so very nice to be able to report that on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 I have rejoined the workforce with gainful employment again! Here is the time line (list) of what I have been up to, in an overview type of structure:

• Laid off April 30, 2009
• Setup a twitter account the next month, May 2009
  • Quality over Quantity is my standard pertaining to follower numbers
    
• Researched and setup webpage then started blogging
  
• Discovered I am a Mensch tweeter, after reading Guy Kawasaki's article on the six types of tweeters.
  • If I saw someone had a question or wanted more information on a subject, I would research it and send them a link or more with what they were looking for
    
• Learned how and started podcasting, that is a lot of fun
  
• Did some web work along the way for different sporting events
  
• Got hooked on professional cycling during Tour de France 2009
  • Tweeted races for those that couldn't watch them but wanted to know what was going on
    
• I have stayed busy and applied for anything and everything that came along regarding work opportunities during that time.
  

My new job is with my previous company that closed but is re-emerging under new ownership. I do not have the same position I held before, but some of what I did then is in my job duties now. The official title is Administrative Assistant / Accounting Clerk / HR Assistant. That is many words and it reflects that I will be very busy and the days will fly by! I am so excited, because not only am I going back to work, but also the company is 'green technology' involving moisture extraction and it is great to be involved in that!


To keep my mind fresh during the long months of looking for work, I occupied it by learning new things. I made many friends along the way and do not count any of the time as wasted. The relationships I have built on social media helped so much in my staying connected, socializing, and feeling useful. It is hard to be out of work and not do much social interaction. Budgeting and keeping trips down to minimize gas use for the important things did not allow me to get out and visit much. 


Thank you to all the people along the way that have enriched my life. I would list you here, but then I know I would miss some of you and I cannot do that! You have given me joy, laughs, insight, opened new areas of interest for me, offered comfort on the bad days and let me comfort you when you were knocked down or just having a bad day. 


I do not wish long-term unemployment on anyone, but if you find yourself in such an unfortunate place, I urge you to stay connected to the world (in any way you can). Keep your mind active, ride a bike, or exercise in some way to lift your spirit, learn new things to keep your confidence up. Even though I am going back to work, I will not forget the millions of Americans that are not working this Labor Day weekend. It is especially hard on this holiday, because until Friday last I was dreading it. It loomed as a big reminder to me that I was not in the labor force and I was fighting feelings of inadequacy and loss of self-esteem. 


Please remember to send Good Thoughts and Prayers to the people still struggling to live day to day in an economy that has no place for them right now. Thanks again to all of you who have been there for me during this life experience!