In America, we have something called "Unemployment." You file for it after you've been terminated or if your company goes bankrupt and can't keep you. You are not supposed to use it if you quit or voluntarily leave your position. It's there to help you get back on your feet while interviewing and preparing for the next chapter of your life. That's the way it's supposed to be. Then there's me. Unemployment and I have been quite well acquainted as of these past few years due to the Pandemic as well as employers who just can't get their heads around what it means to both follow the law and be ethical. Nope. I will just have to say it: Unemployment and I have become fast and good friends.
Unemployment, at its BEST, only pays about 1/3 of what you would normally be paid. You work, you earn money, and your company or employer has to pay the state and federal government for having you as an employee. This tax, if you will, is what is used to pay for unemployment insurance should the company falter or should the employee and/or the employer decide that it's quitting time...well, termination time. In 2019, I was released from a teaching job when the other teachers refused to do their job and basically bullied me out of a position. I took it to a hearing, and I won. After they had to pay me the full contract, I was not renewed, which meant I could file for unemployment. I did. I spent the summer looking for another job.
Well, if you remember, the summer of 2020 was the summer the Pandemic was out and about, and our good president, Donald J. Trump, extended unemployment for another six months or so, and we were paid extra to stay home. I stayed home. When I did go back to work, I worked for another school district, and they let me go after a student read one of my murder blogs and told the school she was afraid to be in my room. (Nope. Not kidding) The school questioned me, and I called my rep. The school dismissed me, I took it to a hearing, and I won. The school paid me the entire contract but did not renew my contract, you guessed it...I filed for unemployment.
I stayed off work from September to March with the contract money and then the unemployment money. I really should have written books, but I didn't. I mean, I did, but I didn't publish them. I was going to, but I just didn't. Then I changed my mind about the publisher and just sort of started looking for another job. That's when I found McLarens! Oh, they were a joke. They are a GREAT company, but the woman who hired me decided to let me go after a month and hire one of her friends. I took that to hearing, and I won. They had to pay me, and since I had already used my unemployment, I couldn't file, but I was off the summer with their contract money. I found a job in September, and BAM! I can't make this up, folks.
I went to work for an undisclosed trading firm. I won't say who they are because I have friends there. I worked there for 98 days, and I was terminated after the Finance Manager asked me to switch to his department when my 90 days were up. Hey, my 90 days were up. I put in my papers. I lost my job because the manager of my department is a bitch and decided to release me rather than allow me to upgrade. Yeah, she's a piece of work, but you get what you hire. They kept her and let me go, and no, this time, I didn't take it to a hearing; they just paid me a severance. What did I do? I wrote a book. I did. I was released on 12/28/22, and I wrote the book from 1/3/23 to about 2/4/23, and then I had it published. It's out now. "Of Kilted Pleasure".
I found work in the middle of February with an insurance agent. He decided not to pay us on time and didn't pay me what I was told would be paid. I didn't leave. He let me go, so now I'm going to file for unemployment again rather than trying to take him to a hearing over the matter. He doesn't have it. I won't get it, so I'll rely on the government to help me while I apply and interview for a better and more worthy position. I was applying nearly every day I was employed with the man because (a) it was not the position I really wanted and (b) I could see the writing on the wall.
Unemployment will NOT pay more than my bills. I will be lucky if they all get paid, but the thing is, I am seriously not that upset about it. I don't have a windfall or a huge nest egg to fall back on, but I have my keyboard. I have about six books in my head that need to be written, and they're not going to write themselves. If I can play this card correctly, and it looks like I may actually be able to do that, I'll be off work until about October and can crank out at least 2 or maybe 3 books during that time. I can't publish until I get another job, but I can at least get them in the can and out of my head! It's a win. No matter how you look at it, it's a win. The good news is, I've never been materialistic, so I'm OK with what I have now. I don't fret about the little things. I am content.
I've managed to live this long on so little that doing so again does not upset me. I have my keyboard. I have my Kindle. I have my dogs. I have food. I always have food. If I don't find a good job between now and October, I'll just sit at the computer and write. I am interviewing. I went on a GREAT interview yesterday with a marvelous financial planning group. If I get the job, I'll be the wind beneath the wings of several planners. I have that capability. I'll be the MOM! I love that role. You're loved and needed, it pays well, and I can write in the evenings. Again, it's a win. Either way, I'm writing. Life is good. The only thing that can change my plans would be the Rapture, and let me tell you, I'd be OK with that! Yes, please! Bring on the Summer. I'm writing.
Photo Credit: Wallpaperaccess.com
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