Recession/Depression/Repression

Recession. I just realized: you can't have "recession" without "recess." Ah, recess, the beloved playtime for elementary school children. Monkeying around on the jungle gym, running the bases during kickball, climbing snow hills made by the plowing of the school parking lot: yes, these are all the makings of pleasant school-day memories. In 5th grade, my classmates at Wayside (go Wildcats!) started playing boys vs. girls "keep-away," which was sort of the coolest thing we had done in our lives to date, but our Catholic school teachers quickly killed that when they discovered this game involved lots of co-ed pile-ups and dangerous "tagging." Prudes. But, I digress.


As the summer nears (and, as even the most devout other-city-denizens will attest, summer in Chicago is magic), being laid off is seeming like a recess for me. Whoa, whoa, whoa, settle down, Sally. This doesn't mean I am thrilled to have no income or ecstatic to be out of work. It took a long time to see the bright side like this. And yes, I am very actively looking for a new job, but as I have gone through the formal grieving process (something like: denial/disbelief, sadness, anger, big-time anger, realization, anger again, annoyance, sadness, anger, "meh," realization/reconciliation), I can say: not having a job, in Chicago, during the summer, with one of my best friends bar tending at the coolest beach bar (see photo, left), well kids, it just ain't the worst thing in the world.



Clearly, I am privileged in that I can feel this way, because, once again, it's just me I have to support. If I had kids and a mortgage, no matter the weather outside, my sun wouldn't be shining. So, I'll take the blessings were they lay (lie?) and this blessing just happens to lie (lay?) on North Avenue Beach, at a bar called Castaways with a bartender named Becky. Boys - she's cute AND single AND jumps really high (see photo, right).


Anyway, the jury is still very much out on when this recession/depression (my father calls it a repression - and he's a very smart man - very in tune with the markets, an oh so clever to boot) will end, though I tend to believe it will be later rather than sooner. Unfortunately, another friend of mine just became a "victim" and was pseudo laid-off (something like he's not getting paid until they have a specific project for him, but he keeps his desk), so reminders that we are still in a drab economy remain ever-present. I know he doesn't see this as recess, but all in due time.

Finally, I forgot to mention - I was quoted in an article on weight-loss after job loss. Okay, by no means have I turned into a mini-pixie, but I do workout waaay more these days. That's it. Toodle-doo!