College Educated & Happy to Have a Job

My almost 25 year old son came home last night with good news: he's landed a summer job as a barista at a popular coffee cafe in our resort mountain town. This is after months of looking somewhat fruitlessly at similar, less appealing positions. This is what many college educated kids are doing in this recession; not to mention living at home.

My son is an outdoor person.  He graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies.  He spent six years living in Utah, camping, hiking, river rafting/kayaking, snowboarding, skateboarding and taking on every new outdoor adventure come his way.  He's trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life.

He and his brother are planning a trip to Australia in late Fall.  They're hoping to have enough money to travel, find jobs and stay a while.  I hope they get there and have a huge adventure.  I want them to experience the world, life, new situations, challenges.  My younger son's GF is just back from 2 months in India, BY HERSELF.  It has been life-changing.

While the current economic situation is not something I want to see prolonged, I'm anxious to see the way my sons react and adjust.  It's their first test of really being on their own and having to struggle.  Yes, they've been out of the house before and making their own way.  But it's different now.  They need to be on their own permanently.  They know it.  We know it.

I Know Nothing!

An article in this morning's Washington Post online talks about the Washington D.C. metro prognosis for 2009 based on the Post's recent Economy Challenge which assembled local business & economic experts to make predictions. The prognostications were wildly divergent in outlook. For example, some believe job growth will grow by 28,500 jobs and another believes they'll lose 46,000 jobs; real estate market will fall 20% to a median priced home of $265,000 or grow 20% to a median priced home of $400,000. There's more but why belabor it?

The more I read from the financial "experts" the more I realize "They know nothing!" as Jim Cramer would say. He knows nothing. How do I know? Every stock I've followed on his strong recommendation is in the toilet. While this is most likely true of most stocks and most people's recommendations, it just goes to show that it's easy to make predictions when things are going well. Not so easy when they are not. Who said that?

Anyway, I am like you. I don't know anything anymore. Not sure if I ever did. The older I get, the more I realize how little I really do know. My Zen-like minister gave a sermon yesterday, "Live in the Present". He stressed the importance of not trying to figure out where we'll be in two months, two years, two days. He advised us to live in the moment of how we feel now. It can be good, it can be bad. It is not permanent. This comes from a man just diagnosed with prostate cancer. He called it his "good news and bad news".

My husband and I have been going through a really tough time these past few years. He's had health issues that were debilitating and disabling. He's now improved enough to get back into the work force and there aren't any jobs, at least, none he's been able to find. We cannot live on my salary alone but we've been lucky with an inheritance from my father and a settlement my husband received from his last job. However, the money is running out and we are now faced with the question of "What do we do now?"

I realize we've been faced with this question over and over in our lives. Sometimes we've known exactly what to do; others, not. I do know that God has always looked out for us and we have survived and always become stronger for it. Comparatively speaking, we have been extremely lucky. I still live in my own home, have enough to eat, have health insurance, have a job. These small things are huge when you look at the rest of the world.

I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I do know I cannot be afraid. One of my favorite movie moments is in the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" with Alastair Sim. When he awakens Christmas morning, after the visits of the three ghosts, he is ecstatic to know he's not only still alive but he has time to change his future. He begins to dance around the room in his nightshirt & nightcap singing,

"I don't know anything,
I never did know anything.
But now I know
That I don't know
All on a Christmas morning."

"Men make plans and God laughs." Author unknown attributed to Yiddish proverb

Starting Over

I have just been pursued and wooed to a new job at a local television station. After 27 years in radio sales, I am now going to be the sales mgr of a local station that broadcasts resort information to tourists when they visit. Am I excited? You're darn tootin'! I have been working for a major publically owned radio company for the past six years and I actually thought I'd end my career in broadcasting with them. Zzzzzzz. I now have a new challenge and opportunity to grow with a company that is expanding and entrepreneurial. How great is that?

I didn't have time to think it through...just three days. That is probably a good thing. When you get older, you tend to think too much. I reacted on gut. I liked the people with whom I interviewed. They asked me what I wanted (can't remember the last time THAT happened) and they gave it to me. I keep thinking I should pinch myself but that is my cynicism sneaking in to spoil my fun. It's okay to feel good about myself and believe I deserve this. My Baptist/Presbyterian upbringing doesn't allow for much self-congratulation. I always feel guilty. But, like Stuart Smalley always says,

"I'm good enough,
I'm smart enough
and, dog-gone it, people like me!"

Thank you, Al Franken.



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