Elephant in the Room

Today's commentary should be full of witty prose and insight into the current condition. Top areas for rumination include: Can Obama really set pay levels for private sector executives? Will it ever rain again in Northern California, and if not, will my water bill be higher than my mortgage payment?

But, those won't be the areas of focus of today's pondering - because the Elephant in the Room is: I am now among the great unemployed masses. While adjusting to this recent change, I have come to the line of thinking that "this may be the worst time in the last 75 years to be out of work." That's a pretty big elephant - but I have the big guy trained and under control.

I have plans for how to attack the problem of getting a new job. I have connections and networks and Facebooks and am Linked In. I have three separate angles to pursue, different lines of work. I have board membership activity to keep me busy, and to serve as a launching point for my assault.

So what is the problem? Life is good then, even with the bad news, right? Well, so far, the hurdle I have to overcome is what I call the "cancer face".

The most painful part of the being cast out from the benevolent umbrella of the modern corporation has not been the "cast out" or the "how could they do this to me" or any of the usual bygones and regrets. (My job situation screamed "bad fit" from day 1, so relief washes over me every day when I wake up, surprisingly refreshed from a sound night's sleep, no longer tortured by the bad fit blues.)

No, I have had the most difficulty dealing with the repetitive conversation with Every Human I Come In Contact With that goes like this:

Me: Hey, How are you?

EHICICW: Great, how are you?

Me: Great! What's new?

EHICIW: Business is slow, we are nervous, we are watching our money, etc. And you?

Me: Well, actually, my position was eliminated, so I am unemployed.

EHICIW: Oh, gosh, that sucks, I am sorry (appropriate expression appears on face, like I told them I had cancer.)

Isn't it great that I have so many friends who all care about me and support me and show their heart-felt sympathy when I tell them my news? Yes, of course, but I am really sick of it, anyways. I recently brought my dog in to the vet to have a lump checked out, and sure enough, it was a potentially cancerous tumor. I immediately noticed the change in the veterinary staff. They all changed expression and lowered their voice - they indeed responded as well trained professionals should, showing respect and treating me (and Cody) properly, changing instantly into what I called the "cancer face." Fortunately, we caught it early, and Cody is back to normal, but my experience with the cancer face burned its way into my memory.

Now, just a few months later, the cancer face is back. My chief problem is that I am determined to not treat this event like cancer. Yes, it is bad news; yes, it is at one of the worst economic times we have faced for many years. But (and it is a big but), it is not cancer, and there is too much good news, too many other blessings to make this panic time. Time to make this into small stuff, and to not sweat it.

While these are bleak economic times, these are great times for anyone fortunate enough to have the resources to weather the storm. A great wave of change is sweeping the country - our new president may be part of that, but the people and the internet are coming together for even greater change. We have the chance to connect to each other and share experiences, ideas and humor in ways unimaginable a few years ago. We can turn our world into our own small town, with the difference that Mr. Haney and Mr. Kimball are replaced by people whose thoughts and struggles we choose to share because we find them brilliant, interesting, current or whatever we choose. Well, that is my theory anyways, and it won't pay the bills, but the opportunities are out there, knocking on doors as fast as we can answer.

So, I will keep talking it up, telling everyone the news, and I will smile bravely through the "cancer face" routine. What I secretly hope for: to meet the person who looks me in the eye and says, "you are so lucky, this is a great time to be on your own, exploring new ideas. You must be so energized." Because that is the way I feel, no doubt about. The real Elephant in the Room is not my application for unemployment benefits and the growing unemployment statistics - it's my pleasure at facing the brave new world, hoping that I will enjoy the bumpy ride to whereever it goes.