An Uncommon State

I suppose there should be no surprise.  It was inevitable and we probably lasted longer than most. Nevertheless, the shape of the economy cast its net around our home when my wife was laid off last week.

Since I had let the notion rattle around in my brain for a couple years, I was not overwhelmed by the news nor have I found myself “depressed” by our circumstances. We will survive. God has always blessed us in unusual ways and we expect that this chapter of our life will be no different.   Then again……

God bless our government. They have made it possible for anyone and I do mean anyone to live under the umbrella of unemployment for 99 weeks.  Did you get that? 99 weeks, almost two full years receiving unemployment benefits. Not only that, the government is planning to take that streak to 126 weeks.  Think about it for a minute. Almost two and a half years receiving a weekly stipend from the government.  Now I’ll admit, since we will be one of those beneficiaries there is a bit of comfort in those numbers. Then again…that’s a hell of a long time to pay people “not to work.”

Yes I know that many people may work hard looking for work. But there is a part of me that thinks some people are looking for work only in regards to finding a job that will keep them at the level of income they had when they were laid off.  The reality of that is simple…. it ain’t gonna happen.  No really, it is NOT going to happen. So perhaps managing expectations might be necessary here.

Back to a personal level. I’m fairly comfortable with our situation right now. We’ve planned for such an event; are debt free; and can adjust our living habits to carry us for quite some time. So right now I’m calm.  99 weeks from now, were that to happen, I’ll admit I may not be so calm. But hey, that’s life. If I stay anxiety free for the next 99 weeks – regardless of the governments support –  I’ll have grown quite a bit in my faith and trust in God. Hence, I’ll be a better man for it.

I hope to keep you posted as things progress. Of course, if our government keeps extending benefits, they could carry us until we retire in our 70s then there’ll be no need to comment!