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Is there anyone who doesn't agree that life as we've known it may never be the same, and that maybe that's not all bad?
Here's what is evident. First, finding a job has become an occupation for many folks who thought they'd hung up their spurs permanently. Some of us are looking for ways to do more of the work we already do, and bring in extra income. In my case, I'm looking to add more yoga classes to my teaching schedule and exploring venues other than the gyms and gated communities where I currently teach. Oh, yes, and to stop procrastinating about marketing private classes which would pay me better. I could also be promoting my Thai Yoga bodywork to colleagues in the complementary health field. We need some selfcare as much as anyone. It bears repeating: work is good, for your health, for your wallet, for society. Your personal stimulus package, you might say.
We decided 2young2retire could do more for you job seekers, too. So we formed a new partnership with Prime Career Builder to add a job board to 2young2retire.com. You can click through to it here. What we liked about CB is that is also offers a Job Seekers Toolkit with lots of help and advice that those of us who have been out of the labor force will find useful, like skills assessments and resume writing assistance. You'll need to register to use the various tools and read the Career Builder blog. Most recently, it has a CB take on how President Obama's Stimulus Package will create jobs. No surprises here: ninety percent of the jobs created will be in the private sector. Funding will be extended to all types of industries and companies, but it focuses on:
Of course these are broad categories, but they help steer you in a direction. I did a search using the new 2young2retire job board to try to match up my skills as a yoga teacher/writer/webmaven, and didn't find a one (duh). But I got to see how easy to use and fast the tool is. And what a great way to research about who is looking for whom, and what they are paying. You could use that information to search through your network for a personal contact or recommendation at a company you know is hiring. I'll be curious to know what you think of the new job board: marika@2young2retire.com – especially if you land something.
The other aspect of this seismic shift is that just about everybody is tightening their belts, so frugal is suddenly trendy and chic (and loves company). Not so incidentally, personal economies – while they may hurt sectors of the Economy in the short term – will have a positive impact on the environment. And boy are people beginning to innovate, which is exactly what made this country great. Case in point, the modified Prius which gets 100 miles to the gallon (that's not a misprint). Fellow UU Fran Sullivan-Fahs is touring her vehicle in Florida and keeping a blog about her adventures.
What's happening at the Stones is that we've become newly interested in cooking well and using more locally-grown, organic vegetables. For a number of years, we've gifted family with memberships in a CSA (http://www.biodynamics.com/csa.html) farm – another phenomenon to check out-- and enjoyed some wonderful meals with them as a result. Now, for the first time in memory, there is a nursery near us with a huge sign that reads Grow Your Own Food. Can victory gardens be far behind?
Actually, my interest began, and was accelerated, by reading Barbara Kingsolver's remarkable Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, about how her family left Tucson and moved to a farm in Southwest Virginia so they could grow or raise their own food according to the seasons. Everyone got into the act, including her youngest child, Lily, who raises chickens for the eggs (and sometimes for the meat – just the 'mean ones.') Click for their terrific website. If you're intrigued by the notion of eating seasonal for their better taste, while easing up on the carbon load of transporting say, cherries from Chile, take a look at Slow Food, a movement that was born in Italy and is finding many adherents.
Lastly, I'm not sure this is really about preserving the environment, but I've become an avid maker of bead jewelry, much of it sourced from my own odds and ends – you know, the stuff you inherited or someone you love gave you so you don't dare throw it away. I enjoy taking dismantling those unworn, under-appreciated baubles as much as creating new things for family and family. I have no idea where this might lead, if anywhere.
As a yogi, and yoga instructor, I'm holding a posture of courage and gratitude for the good in my life in these difficult times. It's reminding me how satisfying it is to make a good meal at home for friends, to read a magazine all the way through, to grow herbs in a pot. Repairing, reusing, recycling, repurposing.
That reminds me, you have until 11:59 p.m. ET, March 5, 2009 to nominate someone for the 2009 Purpose Prize. Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/user/EncoreCareers and get nominating!
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