I HAVE A DREAM

For many Martin Luther King Day is a day off from school and work. For me, it marks my last day of work. Two years ago today I was fired, let go; for low sales. I came in on the holiday at the urging of my boss because I was out the week before. MLK Day marked the end of my career and the beginning of my turbulent relationship with unemployment. Many people say at 27, I have the world ahead of me and starting over should be easy. It's not! I bought a scratch off ticket today, trying to test my luck on this unlucky day. On the back read, "Odds of winning 1 in 3.41." I'll take those odds any day. The house won and I was out of 5 bucks. I remember when I first got a job in high school, I went into the mall and applied. I spoke with the manager that same day and made sure I put my application in his hand. Well today everything is done via the internet, no hand shaking, no paper applications and no look into your future boss eyes. The odds of me applying online to a job and getting an interview is far greater than 1 in 3.41. How do I win? Never in a million years did I think I would be unemployed this long. Some days are great, others are not. Some nights I sleep, most nights I do not. A reoccurring thought is what career can I see myself doing for the next 20 to 30 years. I don't want to job hop, I want a career. As the days roll by and I find myself gaining more weight and being more sleep deprived and my soul tells me that now is the time to act. Some days I don't even leave the house. Well that is all in the past. Many days I wake up thinking about working out and I never do; taking a drive; getting out the house and more. It is time for me to stop being the victim of this economic downfall and be the master of my fate. It is time for me to write more, do more, experience more and be more. The mergence of my dreams and realities is how I will remember MLK Day, not the lose of a job.