Opportunity

        One of the things I'm doing is thinking about how I'm going to handle what I hope will be a short time of unemployment. This is actually harder than it seems. For nearly 25 years I've had a job to go to. In about a week Monday morning will roll around and I won't have anyplace I need to be.
        It would be very easy for me to fall into the pit of despair and fear. It would be very easy for me to give into fears about a future that wasn't what I planned or imagined. It would be very easy for me to feel sad about what I'm going to miss.
        I decided that the best thing to do is make a conscious decision to move away from that pit. I have heard that attitude makes a huge difference in how a person handles a challenge (I typed 'setback' and then deleted the word and used another.) I am a woman of faith, but that faith means nothing if it can't help me in a time of trouble.
      I'm pleased with the fact that not once when this happened did I say or even think, "Why Me?" It's not a helpful question. The fact is there are people who go through much worse trials than I am experiencing right now. C and I have been following the counsel of our church leaders. We have been avoiding debt. We have money saved. We will be all right for the time I think that it will take for me to find some employment. I have 24 years of experience and many abilities that I believe would be beneficial to my new employer whoever that is. We are not without resources.
     This is a time of opportunity for us. One of the things we've needed to do for a long time was to get our house literally in order. We have a large storage room filled with unpacked boxes  and things that we have just thrown in there because we don't know what to do with them. It's too big a task for C to handle alone and I need to be there to help decide what to keep and what to remove. This is also a chance to be better stewards of our resources. For years now we have been talking about getting rid of our cable TV. We don't watch that much TV. It seemed silly to pay as much as we were paying for something we don't use. We know there are some less expensive alternatives out there.
    This is also a time for me to recharge and rest. I've been working many many hours for the past two years. I've had to give up doing a lot of things that I enjoy, like music. I haven't practiced any of my instruments on a regular basis for a long time. I miss the music. I miss the feel of the strings on my harp. I miss the ring of the dulcimer. C and I used to play our instruments during Sacrament meeting at church. As strange as it sounds I miss that too.  I can take some time to practice and maybe play again.
    I have time to things to help others. A few days ago our neighbor came over. Her son had just adopted a baby and she wanted to show us pictures of hew new grandson. I was still feeling pretty blue. I've been taught that when you feel down a good way to help yourself is to help someone else. I pulled out my knitting needles and yarn and decided to knit two washcloths for the baby. I have a friend that is recovering from an operation who might like a little help. I have another friend that I've been neglecting. I'm sure that there will be plenty of opportunities to serve.
   Just for fun I typed benefits of having a good attitude into a search engine. There were over 3 million results. The articles came from varied sources such as The Mayo Clinic, Chicago Tribune. LinkedIn and Success magazine. Maintaining a positive outlook can help a person in just about everything, it seems. Looks like I'm on a good path.