Last night, I felt impressed to write a letter to the President of the United States of America to share with him three points I needed to get off of my chest. The first point was to thank him and his family for putting our country first. Regardless of political beliefs, President Trump has convinced me that he and his family really do want America to be the greatest country in the world, which is something I can support. The second point was to ask why are there reports stating dead people received COVID-19 stimulus money? How come there is not some sort of regulation in place with the government that cross references social security numbers of those just written on a death certificate to the government agencies that send money? Obviously grieving families do not always tell the IRS or Social Security Administration that their loved one just died. And, let's face it, there are a lot of crooks in the world who do not want these agencies to know a person is dead. The third point I felt like I needed to share with the President of the United States was to ask for his prayers. He and his family appear to be the kind of people who pray to the Christian God, and since that is the same type of faith that I share, I hope he will take the time and utter a quick prayer asking for God's favor to finally shine on my life, so that I, too, will recover from this pandemic. I honestly do not know what else I am going to do if I do not find a job. I know people think that "white privilege" is a real thing. And maybe it is for some, but not for me. Reputable jobs want to check credit. Okay, fine. Just only use my recent North Carolina credit history and ignore everything in Georgia. I barely escaped my home state with my life and the clothes on my back. My former husband knows my social security number and when I left, he made sure to ruin my credit in hopes of forcing me to stay with him. When that did not work and I left anyway, he tried killing me by making it look like an accident (See photo. That story will be told at a later time). If I do not get a job, I do not know what I am going to do. I have worked everyday since I was fifteen years old. I do not know anything but working. I have never even filed for unemployment before now. All of my life, the people in it have told me that I would never amount to anything and would accomplish nothing...I do not want to think that they are right. That the decisions I have made in my short forty-four years on this planet were all for naught, especially on that first day when I wake up with zero dollars in my bank account, has made them be able to say, "I told you so". With a future so uncertain, where does one go from here? How does one recover? Hopefully, I will get a job before I need the unemployment benefits. If I cannot finally establish a career because I am discriminated against due to my lack of color, disability, or credit report, then, my back-up plan is that maybe I will receive unemployment benefits which will help supplement my income until I begin the local community college in August and find a part time job on campus. Even though I have over twenty years of experience in the office administrative and legal assistance industry, apparently employers are looking for education as well, which is why I will be getting my degree in Paralegal Technology so that I can pass the State and Federal exams. In the meantime, I plan on writing to help pass my time and keep my mind occupied. And maybe, just maybe, something else will come out of this experience and I will wake up one morning in the near future to realize that I am finally living my America Dream.
We all want it. Our forefathers envisioned it and wrote about it in the annals of history and our military still uphold it. Freedom. An online dictionary defines freedom as, "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." It can be a bit of a catch-22. How desirable is it? There are many quips and quotes that sound good such as, "Just do it", or "Be the change you want to see" or better yet, "Don't wait. The time will never be just right". Right? I decided, for the millionth time, that I was completely dissatisfied with a job I'd held for over 5 years. It was a good job and I liked my coworkers. But the old saying, "life is short' kept running through my head. So I quit my job. I didn't have another one lined up but knew I'd find something. And I did! I found a great job with a new company and loved it there! Then the bottom fell out. My boss called me into her office and closed the door. Never a good sign. After 7 glorious months with this company she said that due to restructuring I was being laid off. I sat there in mind-numbing disbelief. I told myself that I would be okay. One can hope. Maybe half of the people in the world have had a somewhat traditional goal to meet someone, fall in love and get married. Or to be in a committed relationship. And they love it. However, they might not notice the almost imperceptible little strings hiding behind the scenes. Until their independence is questioned. And then it can create a little hole in their freedom bucket. Today's newspaper highlighted an article on some foodie entrepreneurs opening a new restaurant promising an exciting and wonderful cuisine. They will be following their dream of becoming self-employed owners free to follow their dreams. What if they decide to change it up and want to add live music or cute little tables and chairs outside of the restaurant? They're self-employed owners. They are free to do what they want. As long as they follow the rules and ordinances. Right? There might be some strings... I've always believed I was a free-spirited leader. Definitely not a follower. However, I do like to set goals and I feel great when I accomplish them. Even if that's getting out of bed, showering and making coffee. It's the little things. As an unemployed free human I've been enjoying the freedom to sleep in as long as I've wanted. I can read, watch t.v. or go for long walks. No one to check in with or a clock to keep track of. Meh. I miss chatting with coworkers at the old water cooler (are those still around?). I miss setting the alarm clock, hitting snooze a couple of times, and then picking out my clothes for work. I mostly miss getting a paycheck. Regularly. Like in the bank. Work commitments and relationships can hold the promise of a future but is there freedom offered as well? I think so. But there are the ever present little strings attached. And I kinda like it.