BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!

It’s been a month since I sent out my last blog posting. And what a month it has been!

   Nine days after my 70th birthday my work contract wasn’t extended. I was expecting to work at least through 2014 and, given our precarious financial position, this wasn’t welcome news.

   Only three days before my services were terminated, I was complaining to my wife, Brenda, that I’d lost my enthusiasm for my work as the Financial Controller of a financial services group of companies. I said I thought the group was being steered in the wrong direction and I didn’t like the way it was heading. “I don’t like being there anymore. I think it’s time to leave.”

   I kid you not, Brenda replied, “Be careful what you want, because that’s invariably what you’ll get!”

   Of course I didn’t take any notice of that remark until three days later when I found myself unemployed.

   We were both pretty useless for the next two weeks trying to cope with the shock and struggling with the fears about our uncertain future. In fact, we didn’t find the courage to tell our family and friends until the third week. Fortunately, their response was overwhelmingly supportive. This gave us the incentive to break out of our cycle of fear and anxiety and we began to pick ourselves up and get proactive.

   Of course, I immediately began looking for work – not so easy to find when you’re a senior citizen. Regardless, there I was preparing resumes for the first time in 13 years; looking up job search websites; putting out feelers to friends and contacts for leads; and emailing my resume and covering letters extolling my virtues to employment agencies and prospective employees.

   Concurrently, we applied for social services support to help us with here-and-now expenses. I think we filled in more forms in one week than we had for the previous 20 years of our lives!

   Also, out of immediate necessity, we have to move out of our apartment and find cheaper accommodation. So, it’s off to open-for-inspections each day in the hope we’ll find something larger than a shoebox and/or better than a slum for the modest rent we’ll be able to afford.

   In the meantime I’ve been contacting credit card providers, motor vehicle financing company, and other lenders to seek their cooperation in having our monthly repayments reduced until I find a job.

   All a bit stressful, really.

   Who needs this at any age, especially at ours?

   Well, I guess we do. There are some mighty lessons to be learnt from all of this and, once we get through these trials and tribulations, as we are sure we will, we’ll look back on this and say, “Thank you, universe, for helping us to see things differently. Thank you for helping us change our attitude and behaviour; and for helping us learn from our mistakes; and for helping us to become stronger and wiser people as a result.”

   So, if my blog postings continue to be somewhat sporadic for a while, I’m sure you’ll understand.

   We’re determined to overcome these obstacles so, WATCH THIS SPACE!

 

P.S. Must remember to be more careful about what I ask for from now on.

 djdelene.blogspot.com