The Reality Check is in the Mail

Nearly two weeks ago, I was laid off from my job as a proofreader at a large firm in the Tri-State area -- which shall remain nameless.  Ever since I began my "enforced vacation", as I like to call it, I have ceaselessly scanned the classified ads, searching daily and diligently for gainful employment.  I spend hours on Monster, Mediabistro, and Indeed -- just to name a few sites.  I compose cover letters, I continuously polish my resume, and I work hard at staying positive -- default smile firmly on my face.  So far, my efforts have yielded the following fruit: four rejection emails, countless ignored CVs/cover letters, a minor online back-and-forth with a chronic Craigslist complainer who likes to place rant ads in amongst the classifieds, and... one interview pending.  So the news is not all bad, although it could be better.

I have come to learn that unemployment and patience go hand-in-hand.  I must wait until new classified ads are posted, I must wait for a response to my resume, I must wait to see if I'll be invited for an interview, I must wait to see if I'll be hired post-interview, et cetera, et cetera.  So lots of time is spent in limbo, but with patience being the virtue it supposedly is, I'll assume only good things can come about as a result.  One waiting game which has not been particularly beneficial, however, has to do with my final paycheck from my former firm.  I have been assured that "the check is in the mail", and I'm sure it is.  I don't question the company's honor in the slightest.  However, whatever virtue I'm allegedly acquiring from waiting for these funds isn't helping to buy groceries, make my monthly car payment or satisfy other bills which need to be paid. 

While I wait to learn my fate in the working world (as well as the whereabouts of the aforementioned paycheck), I spend time reading online articles and blogs on the unemployment crisis and how to cope.  I'm counseled to exercise, pursue home-based projects, take up new hobbies, engage in free activities in the community, and to volunteer.  All good suggestions, so in the spirit of spending quality time in post-layoff reality, I trudge to my local boardwalk for daily seaside constitutionals.  I get on a fall cleaning kick and empty my pigsty bedroom.  A longtime vegetarian, I am now attempting a vegan diet and spend many mealtimes trying out new recipes.  A rabid craftsperson, I've decided I'd like to learn to knit, and I am also considering volunteering my time at a local thrift shop.  So I fill my days with resume-expediting, cleaning, crafting, and above all... patience.