April Smith and the Great Picture Show

Originally this started as test of time. Could I stand the test? Could I make this happen? Could I survive the what I now know would be months until I got, ...work. Work. WORK.

The test has been completed in every sense of the word. 34 weeks into unemployment, and I, statistic that I am, have gotten myself, well employed.

So, from here on in, things change. For good, for bad, forever because I get up and work. I come home, fall asleep early. Get up do it again until the weekend. And when the weekend happens, I chant, "I LOVE THIS WEEKEND!" or "So this is what a weekend is like...for all you...working people." But I am that person now. That working person.

They say the average unemployment falls somewhere between 34-42 weeks. I was the lucky one landing on the shorter end of that spectrum. You always hear people say, "I'm unemployed" and some of us think (well I did at least) "well why don't you go out and get a job already!" Who knew it would take so long. So many applications. So many letters saying this position has been filled, or the more regular, just never hearing back from the company you applied for. It's tough. It's hurtful. And you wonder when it will end.

But trust me. I've been down the road, and you've followed it. One filled with The Bachelor, a lot of sleeping, tireless little activities to fill my time, all the while wondering when my time would be up. When it would be my turn to get a job. To go out in the workforce and make something happen. The girl, voted most likely to succeed by her high school class seemingly not succeeding at anything. Anything she tried to do.

And then, one day, just like that, I wake up to a 45 hour work week. Leaving the dog behind. Being too tired for The Bachelor. And tireless activities seem to put me into a coma.  

Hang in there buddy, you too will have your new found, unasked for freedom taken away, soon enough. 

Just a girl, an exhausted girl, knowing now that the 80's rock band Loverboy had it right: everybody really is working for the weekend.