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| Brooklyn Public Library with half-moon. |
KaHug and I have, in our verbal perambulations, talked about the expectations of our generation. And how they are being so sorely disappointed. Given that many of us were spawned and reared in the bubble of optimism, accomplishment, pride, and hubris that followed WWII, it is no wonder that many of us are back to being, on some level, mewling animals trying to navigate a new world blindly.
I worry for myself, of course, what will become of me, sooner than later, if I can't find steady employment. I have neither the tools for perspective nor problem-solving. Hell, I am not sure I have the appropriate guidelines to even define the scope of the problem, to begin to get a handle on all of it.7:46 p.m.
I can barely keep my head off of the desk, but 8:00 p.m. seems a bit early for bed. I am not sure if this sleepiness is due to the stresses of the day and all that I am sorting out (much of which has not been trotted out for discussion), the general, daily stress of money and life, or ? ... the weirdness of the weather? It was 61 degrees out today. I walked to the library wearing a pullover sweater and no overcoat. And that ain't right.
The issues around mid-lifer/Baby Boomers out of work and out of illusions continues to dog and intrigue me. And what are quite a few of us to do as we are not prepared for retirement and the job landscape has shifted so that we might not be qualified to do the work there is ... and I am not sure what work is out there.
The pictures are beautiful Sally, the message is sobering. I too am contemplating how to make a reasonable living with a skill set that hasn't even remotely become obsolete- I do hair for god's sake!! Unfortunately, the state of the economy has put those that typically come to me for updated tresses have either been tapped out or they've simply moved out of our expensive city. Not everyone, obviously, but a good many of my clients. This is vexing to me as I too wonder what is the next best/better step. I think it's our ancillary job to keep our heads up and help our friends lift theirs as well.
ReplyDeleteDespite decades of responsible record-keeping, I'm now barely tech savvy enough for the required promotion & sharing of images of my art, (more so than most of my artist friends), though my skills don't match current requirements & I no longer know how to update my own website (thankfully, I'm not embarrassed by what's there!). I know only a little about sharing my music online (I used to know alot about recording, now I garage band it in just OK quality, figuring it out little by little... Then much too soon there's a system update, or cultural shift, and all I've learned is wrong. The money for elementary arts courses is less each year, and the teachers & parents, half my age, always seem surprised when I enter the classroom. I am barely employed, my art no longer selling well, still paying on loans for my professionally recorded CD. (2007). Thank goodness for music gigs that hire regardless of age! And a husband with some teacher's retirement $$. And stuff I love to do, even if I no longer get paid for it!
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