I have this good fortune, in my 37 years of life, never to have been unemployed before, well not without good reason (relocating 200+ miles a couple of times would have meant one helluva commute!)
Its not entirely welcome. I am looking forward to more time for my lottie, but with my overzealous 2 year old in tow, its not always fun! If not for me, for the other plot holders nearby!
Am devising plans to drive around, get him to sleep and park in the sun at the top of my plot (huge space big enough to park in thats good for nothing) and leave him to it while I get to it!
Meanwhile any *get a new job soon* vibes are most gratefully received. With 3 children and a mortgage, I am a more than a leeeeeeetle big edgy to say the least!!
I'm sending vibes and wishing you luck with finding something new- hope you can enjoy the time at the plot without feeling that you shouldn't be there!
Easy to say I know, but maybe it's the opportunity for you to do what you REALLY want..... I would love to grow veggies, keep chickens(and probably donkeys and maybe a goat...!) and write. Anyway, best of luck and lots of good vibes coming your way xx
I was in your position at 47. All I can say is don't think of it as the end of your life, but the beginning. Spend six months doing your own thing; then think about how you want to spend the next few decades of your life. You need your health & sanity for your children; they're the important ones.
The lottie is your escape and your release. Don't give it up.
Dig out your old Christmas cards from business connections and scour your address book ,Let the contacts you have made attached to your field know that you will be available, don't be shy is using ways in Good Luck XX Jeannine
I know it's a cliche but 'as one door opens' and all that, how about agency work, that way, you can decide when you want to work and when you can be on the plot ;D
Enjoy a bit of time with your two year old Babs, and before you know it something will have turned up. ;D ;D ;D
Oh aren't you all a bunch of old softy philosophers, its fabulous :)
You have really cheered me up. The 2 year old is only a 3rd of them, but I wanted to spend more time with them, I was thinking maybe in the school holidays though, not permanently!
I have put my feelers out, but I do believe everything really does happen for a reason and keep trying to think about that when it all feels like doom and gloom!
My plot may yet look like its neighbours! (I rest from digging and glare longingly at the plots either side of me!)
Thanks all :)
Is that Barbara as in The Good Life? ;D You may get to live it yet - I really hope so. Keep us posted, and best of luck :)
Here's some irony, I was told today that we were weeks away from our department being sold to a large American company but my MD wouldn't let us go so he has a deal that means we are all safe for the next 6 years.
All of us could come up with something we could have done if we had been made redundant but instead we get to work for another company for 4 weeks and get to start from scratch again, wish I had the bottle to be unemployed for a while.
Now's the time to do all those things that you wished you could but never had the time for when you were working!
3 years ago I was working 12 hours a day and completely stressed out all the time. Then fate decided that I would devlop a chronic illness which meant that I wouldn't work for 2 years. I can completely understand the anxiety that you feel, but honestly this was the best thing that could ever happen to me. My outlook on life has completely changed. Without this period of illness, I never would have got my allotment, and never would have realised what was really important in life. Sorry to get all philiosophical, but I now really believe that everything happens for a reason, and life has a way of working itself out! Good luck with whatever you decide to do. x :)
I know it's easy to say, but you have to see this as a positive opportunity. I've been made redundant three times and it's led to me doing jobs I wopuldn't have had the opportunity to do if I'd stayed with that first company. Moving jobs is tough & scary when you do it for the first time, but trust me, once you learn the skill, it gets easier and you build confidence in you abilities to get a job, which helps take the pressure off should you find yourself in a position wher things aren't going well.
temp for a bit & see what else is out there, things ofter pop up totally unexpectedly. You'll be fine.
Quote from: Trevor_D on May 01, 2007, 19:45:11
I was in your position at 47. All I can say is don't think of it as the end of your life, but the beginning. Spend six months doing your own thing; then think about how you want to spend the next few decades of your life. You need your health & sanity for your children; they're the important ones.
The lottie is your escape and your release. Don't give it up.
Read this, then read it again!
You don't need a pity party don't worry. Everything does happen for a reason. Do look at this as a chance to re-evaluate and think about what you might like to do. Maybe something completely different? What about courses? The Open University are fantastic - I cannot praise them highly enough.
I was running a pub when i had my first baby - the only gardening i got to do was the beer garden and hanging baskets - i wanted a kitchen garden and all sorts but no time, no staff etc.
It became too much with my partner retraining as a heating engineer and a new baby, i had my maternity leave, but because i lived upstairs - that bell...constantly ringing with people wanting something!!
It's a 20 hour a day job anyway so life became unbelievably stressful.
So i left became stay at home mum. We are always skint but I am using the time to study for OU degree in Language Studies, doing a teaching assistant course so i can have a term time only job- then when they're older I can go back to more work for far better money - mean time i get to pootle round the lottie, spend 6 hours a day pretending to do house work and thinking about plants!
Be positive and enjoy your unexpected break. As others have said, you can temp until you find which way you're going.
8) 8) 8) 8)
Hig Cyberhug BarbaraGood,
The intresting thing i have found on this forum is that no one judges and usualy there is someone who knows the answer.
When it comes to comething like this life changing exeriance, there are always people here to lift your sprits and raise your own expectations.
My advice is to stay busy, its 2 hot to go to the plot at the moment so get your CV done and email it to all the recruitment companys attached to your local paper ( this should be online ) durng the day and then set some time in the afternoon on the plot.
And then call them all the next day, be warned revcruitment companys no longer do a lot of chasing, you have to do this now and you have to push for feedback. I found www.linkedin.com a good system for networking.
Speak to the morgage company as its possible the money you pay may include morgage protection which covers your payments for a while. You also need to sign on asap they they might also be able to help.
Dont get wound up and keep the kids routine else they will overlap valuable job hunting time. You also need time for yourself.
Camborune7
WOW more wise words - thank you all so much! What a fabulous place this is!
Its been an emotional couple of weeks, the new job I was going to seemed perfect, but obviously wasn't, my brother has had some huge marital problems and leans on his big sis all the time, which is good but wearing and my mum is recovering from a near-death experience - it never rains!!!! (actually, it doesn't lately does it ;D)
Its got to be a good thing, I can't cope with any more bad! My little ones are happy I am around more anyway, and the house will be grateful too, not to mention the ironing pile :o
Have just read this. Lot's of good sensible advice there, Barbara, but I do feel for you as I have always been a worrier (unnecessarily most of the time I have to admit!) Every good wish anyway and keep thinking positively ............
Emmy is right you know taking courses is a way forward and if you do fancy working in a school there are ways in.Approach your school and tell them you would like to volunteer, once your police check is done they will take you on, most schools are desperate for help. This is part of my role in school so I grab every volunteer I can. I also run all the courses for Mums one of which is the Teaching Assisitant course,You need to be a school volunteer to do this. Your course would take a year or 6 months fast tracked. It is free here in Hull. When you get it and your have done your volunteering you are all set to apply for a job, often your school head will look to such as you if you have proved yourself as a volunteer. I put 13 Mums through last year and 14 this year. If your school can't get the local Adult Ed to come to school to deliver the course there will be places in your area you can go to. We even run a crecge for littlies when the course os on. XX Jeannine
Thanks for that Jeannine, unfortunately I only have a 2 hour slot each week without my youngest as he is only JUST old enough for playgroup (just turned 2) so I can't get in to volunteer. I am a school governor at both my teenager and 4 year olds schools so am known to them anyway and am hoping, if nothing turns up, this might be the way I go forward. Have put my name forward in the local school office as they are desperate for someone til the summer holidays, so crossing everything in a way but at the same time wondering if this situation will lead me on a completely difference journey :)
Current problem is persuading my lovely DH to blow a few hundred quid and a week's holiday allowance on a last minute holiday. Even plying him with alcohol didn't work last night ;D
Lemon meringue pie works best in my house !! XX Jeannine