As folks know, Marco got laid off this week.\u00c2\u00a0 Personally and as a nation, I think we are in a state of shock.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 As neighbors and loved ones learn about layoffs and others tremble in anticipation as they face another tenuous day on the job, we need to create space for holding and expressing our joint grief, panic, and rage.\u00c2\u00a0 There is a presence in anger, and we need to hold accountable those who are ultimately responsible, namely Wall Street and George Friggin W. Bush.<\/p>\n
But Marco and I are also keeping faith.<\/p>\n
Marco got the news on Wednesday and his last day is today.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spent most of the week huddled together, asking how each other is doing, reminding ourselves of all that we do have\u00e2\u20ac\u201dour health, cherished friends who rushed to email their contacts, family members who offered the promise of loans should we need them, a roof over our heads, love, and more.\u00c2\u00a0 We had just started looking for a larger apartment, but instead of going to open houses this Sunday, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll head to IKEA to find me a desk.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need intermediary health care fast, as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got medical expenses this year, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll stop eating out, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll work more hours.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m overwhelmed, but no one has died.\u00c2\u00a0 Our lives go on.\u00c2\u00a0 As one wise friend said to me yesterday over the phone, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is a Fucking Stressful Bummer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an FSB indeed.\u00c2\u00a0 A lot to handle, but hopefully that is all.<\/p>\n
The reaction from loved ones is striking.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You know that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my greatest nightmare,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d wrote one, unable to contain her own fear.\u00c2\u00a0 Another emailed, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My friend’s husband got laid off in late October and by November he had found a job that was WAY better.\u00c2\u00a0 This is tough, but I am going to remember that hopeful example when thinking about what’s in store for Marco.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
In the emails that continue to pour in with leads, in the Facebook responses, and in comments on here on this blog, I find hope.<\/p>\n
And while Marco and I are busy trying to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fix\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the problem that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hit our personal lives and embrace this moment as a springboard for innovation and change, there are many families and individuals for whom this current crisis constitutes a breaking point.\u00c2\u00a0 My heart goes out to each and every one of them.\u00c2\u00a0 I pray that we will not be among the broken, and that this experience will strengthen us, a newly married couple, as we forge on.<\/p>\n
And yes, I am also EXTREMELY pissed.\u00c2\u00a0 As one friend emailed, “Thank you Dubya.\u00c2\u00a0 You’re the gift that keeps on giving.”<\/p>\n
Let me tell you, I count the days left til that useless old gift goes back to the store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As folks know, Marco got laid off this week.\u00c2\u00a0 Personally and as a nation, I think we are in a state of shock.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 As neighbors and loved ones learn about layoffs and others tremble in anticipation as they face another tenuous day on the job, we need to create space for holding and expressing our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1902,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[131],"class_list":["post-1442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-economy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1902"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/girlwpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}