Its scary. I spend time being excited and anxious. Some of me wants to back down and find another hole to hide in. Thats how it feels to decide to re-enter the work force after so many years away. I don't believe my fear is uncommon actually. The world changed while I raised my kids. I spent time being very ill. Then we bought the farmette and that took a chunk of dedication too. Kids off to college and on their own now and a husband that needs my caretaking skills too but I am ready to be a part time worker and part time caretaker. My skills may or may not have become obsolete. It just depends on what I am looking to do with my life now.
I can say that I have no choice but I began the process before my husbands accident led to the complications that have brought us to yet one more frightening economic crisis. We will survive because that is what we do but this time, I want to see the process as something positive.
I began this blog with the intention of talking more about spiritual issues and while I still am interested in doing so, I have decided to play possum a bit on that topic to a degree because of the job search. That made it a little awkward to have this particular blog and I wasn't inspired to write because I had a plan for my writing but once again it got side tracked by life. Lol.
I think I get it now, okay?
Rather than drop blogging altogether I am going to document my process of re-entering the work force as a handicapped person who is going to be 53 years old and whose education and experience is on the eclectic side.
The flip side of this coin is that because we are in a pickle financially once again, we will be economizing a bit at home and because of the health issues we will be dealing alot with diet and herbs.
Add to that the fact that we still have a homestead and are still very intersted in living green and wholesome…..
So what does this look like?
I will be writing about the things that I hope will benefit others who are in the same or similar boat as myself, re-entering the workforce, exploring our life skills and becoming a strong and postive person. I think that we get lost in taking care of others and our land so that we don't tend to the deeper details of ourselves sometimes.
I will also be writing a bit about those life skills gained as a mom, artist, craftsperson, homesteader, herbalist, etc.-because as a future peer counselor, I will be called upon to show and tell these skills at times. I am good at these things and so it will help me to write them out. These skills are varied-from how to dress for a job interview to canning and mending and saving money on groceries.
I am curious as to whether readers have felt the same anxiety that I have felt at re-entering the workforce? If you do go back to work after a long hiatus, what kind of job do you hope to land?
It's definitely scary to re-enter the workforce. As you know, I was making steps that way myself, until our surprise son came along. Its funny you're writing this now, because I was thinking of writing a post about hardship and how we tend to get through it. My strategies have changed over the years and they'll probably continue to change.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll ponder more and write that post, as David and I have had our own (through different reasons) financial struggles of late. There is quite a lot of blanket knowledge of taking things one day at a time, but crisis isn't always that gentle with us, lol. It all goes to the question of what we're made of, testing our metal so to speak, and that changes with every situation.
You have been very good at being flexible but to be honest I'd rather raise 10 more children than go work for somebody! That is a part of my fear-giving control of my time to somebody else. But I am getting over it slowly but surely.
DeleteI look forward to reading that post as I think people can relate and learn from the experience.