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Writer's picturelenleatherwood

Prompt: A Different Way of Thinking

Sally Johnson was angry. Another day without a job and here she was in the prime time in her life. She was smart, she was stable, she was relatively pretty and she had skills that had been honed by years of experience. And yet, no matter where she looked or how hard she tried, she just couldn’t land a new job.

“We are sorry to inform you…” the email would read after a killer interview. “How could it be?” Sally asked her husband, Rick. “How could I be so wrong in my assessment of the situation? I thought the boss was going to hire me on the spot.”

Rick, who had been self-employed for years as a contractor, just shrugged. “You never know what is going on in that inner office. A nephew or niece might have been promised the job, but they had to advertise to comply with the law. Or, they found someone who is not as qualified as you, but will work for less money. Honey, it’s just the times right now. You have to hold tight.”

It was not easy for Sally to “hold tight” since the mortgage payments were due every month and Rick’s contracting business was down because of the recession. They were stretching the little money they had tight as a drum and had stopped eating out, going to movies, taking any trips or buying gifts for each other or anybody else. Plus, they’d had to ask the kids to stop expecting those “extras” that go with school, like asking them to buy the gift wrap at Christmas or donate for the annual class trip. Sally found it humiliating to be in such a position after so many years of gainful employment, which had afforded all those extras. But when her previous employer at the ad agency retired and his new business manager implemented a radical new approach to sales with added high pressure to the customers and to the employees, Sally felt compelled to tender her resignation. “I’ll find a job that more reflects my personal philosophy,” she had told her friends. “I want to work somewhere where management cares about people. I believe if we do that, then people will be loyal to us and come back again and again with their business.”

Little did she know that the economy would tank about an hour after she quit. Or that Rick’s work would suffer so from the lack of disposable income among the public, the money that usually paid for house renovations or new house construction. She kicked herself for not reading more and being more well-informed about the economic forecast, but she had been so unhappy with the new management at her work, all she could do was get through each day and come home to an early dinner and bedtime. Depression began to creep in at that point and had taken up what looked like permanent residence.

“I have to start thinking differently,” Sally said to herself one day as the new year approached. “I have to get myself into a different state of mind. A ‘new’ state that allows for new thinking.” She got herself up out of bed before dawn the next morning – that was new since she loved to sleep late – and forced herself to pull on her jeans and a sweatshirt and head immediately outside for a walk. “Maybe it’ll clear my mind,” she muttered as she headed down the street to a nearby park. Sally did this for a week, each day feeling a little easier than the last. Also, each day, she became a bit more aware of the world around her: of the birds flitting in the trees, the yellow cat that always was curled on her neighbor’s porch in the morning, and the people who were also up and out, clearly committed to early morning exercise.

She also decided to do something else differently. She went to the grocery store, bought some Miss Clairol and came home and dyed her hair. Her salt and pepper hair shifted back to her former natural blonde and, though she knew she wasn’t fooling anybody about her age, she suddenly felt younger and prettier. She also bought some eyeliner and soft pink lipstick and committed to wearing just that much makeup every day, even at home alone, just so she could feel a little less dowdy and old. The third addition to this new approach to living was diet-related. She resolved that for just one week she’d not eat any sugar, just to see how that made her feel, body and mood-wise. She’d picked up a book called Sugar Blues at a garage sale and read that all those extra cookies and that bowl of ice cream after dinner might be affecting her mood. It was worth a try, particularly since she also had put on a few pounds over the years.

Two months went by, Sally was committed to her new habits. She even added a few more changes along the way. She stopped drinking that glass of wine at night since she read that alcohol was a depressant; she started volunteering at a local girls’ club, a decision that brought new light to her life. It wasn’t long before she was laughing more when she was with those young girls – they were such gigglers – and it wasn’t long after that before she found herself caring deeply about their welfare. She shifted her attention from herself to a few girls who seemed to respond to her caring and along the way she forgot about her depression. She was too busy. Money was still a factor – or lack of money – but she had also decided to look at the recession as an opportunity to simplify her life. She got rid of all of the old clothes that had littered her closet for years – donating them to a local charity – and bought herself a few basic outfits that suited her slimming figure. She also cleaned out drawers and cabinets that were crammed full of old and useless items that had been stowed when her time was so busy with work. She also learned to cook for less money – using dried beans and pasta as mainstays and avoiding the higher priced processed food that had been so full of additives anyway. And she committed herself to eating more fruits and vegetables and less starchy, empty calories.

Within half a year, Sally looked and felt better than she had in a very long time and discovered that she was open to experiences that she would have scoffed at as “lesser than,” prior to this transformation. She agreed to help the Girls’ Club with their advertising for free – a gift for all that she had received there – and she offered to help tutor several of the girls who needed and wanted help but had no money to pay. This work reminded her that she was competent and able and boosted her confidence. The ads looked great, the girls’ grades began to improve and Sally herself began to feel the glow of accomplishment. Her work also brought her to the attention of many people on the board of the Girls’ Club, one of whom found her so impressive that he asked if she might be interested in a part-time position in his company helping with the advertising.

Within a year, Sally had gone from part-time to full-time at that job, primarily because her skill had brought in enough extra business to justify her salary. This gave her even more confidence and she was able to face that mortgage payment every month without fear. She was even able to buy the Christmas wrapping paper from her child that next holiday season and get back to donating for the school trips. She and Rick took a weekend trip to Napa and laughed the whole time. The two of them also bought bicycles and started biking every day after work. In short, in 12 short months, Sally’s life had changed completely and all for the better. She was happier, healthier and in a job that she loved.

When a friend came to her, depressed and out of sorts because of her own job loss, Sally smiled. “Sit down and let’s have a cup of coffee,” she said. “Then I’ll tell you how this might be the beginning of the best part of the rest of your life.”

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