State of the American Union

The state of our union is at once both regretful and promising. What once seemed like the highest of highs in the nineties crashed and burned early this century. The past seven-plus years have greatly diminished our relationship with the world and each other. But with the record length of a presidential campaign coming towards a foreseeable end, hope looms on the horizon.

Without question, the nineties will be remembered as a time of prosperity and good times. The economy was performing well, people were working, and home sales soared to record numbers. The nineties weren't all that rosy, however. The popularity of a President incited a wave of hatred towards him and all he represented, and that abhorrence came to a head in the election of 2000.

I hadn't realized the hate I'd developed towards the other side until the day after results of the election were finally confirmed. I was so angry at the time; I spent several hours putting all my frustrations on to twelve pages of paper, only to be ripped into pieces in the frustration of the helplessness I felt. Although the country had been experiencing good times, there was a certain group of people bonded together to start a movement, playing on the sentiments that would divide the masses by appealing to a segment of the population motivated by the distractive issues that had nothing to do with the nation as a whole, but issues that affected the liberties of the individual. Pundits and politicians alike played on moral issues to divide and conquer. From big-time radio pundits like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, to the rising political players in the neo-con' movement, the American people flocked towards opposite ends of the spectrum, separating us into the red and the blue. In the moments of haphazard penning, I realized that this marked a turning point in our history. It was an event that would change the way we existed as a nation. The goal of dividing the country in two had been successful.

With the endowment of the presidency to George Bush by the Supreme Court in 2000, the lines had been drawn. Left-Leaning Americans were left in a state of shock as the Bush era forged ahead reversing an agenda that was the complete opposite from anything Clinton had done. At first, it seemed innocuous. The most egregious offense committed by Bush during the first nine months of his presidency was his record length of vacation time. That is, until September 11th.
At the time of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the country became as united as never before. I recall being moved to tears as I witnessed the displays of unity all around me. Flags and banners hung on highway overpasses, the glances of solidarity towards fellow Americans became a source of comfort, and candlelight vigils outside my home with all my neighbors present all gave me the feeling of intense nationalism. I was overwhelmed with love and pride for my country.

In the aftermath, the President had the support of the nation and the world. He had been given the opportunity to take his place among the great leaders in history, to harness the collective energy of a grieving nation to face adversity in the eye and overcome it. Indeed, the world would have been behind him had he'd made the right decisions in achieving justice for what had been done.

Instead, September 11th, 2001 has become a point in time from whence our great United States became disjointed. Far too many controversial and decisive issues have been brought to the forefront to discuss in detail here, but needless to say, the country has been longing for something, or someone, to come along, to take us away from all this madness and bring us together as a country again.

The present campaign for the Presidential election of 2008 began in November 2004. Never before in our history has there been such an eagerness for change so early on in an administration. As we begin 2008 with the knowledge that change is on the horizon, people seem to be getting a little excited, and that's a good thing. Clearly, the Democratic Party, the party that's been suppressed for the past twenty-plus years is finally regaining the confidence it needs to right the ship. We have been presented with a group of talented people who all have the ability to right the ship, and we are fortunate to be given the chance to choose from among them. Every candidate on the Democratic side possesses the ability to steer the country back towards unity and prosperity.

In this campaign cycle, we are presented with two clear choices: a group of candidates who promise a redirection from the regretful course we've taken, and those who would continue to play on our fears and our divisions to their own ends, leading us further towards the demise of our great society. I am confident that the choice has already been made. The only question left is which person will be chosen to take the lead.

There is a light on the horizon. There is hope that Americans will finally see through all that's happened the past seven years and look towards the future once again with hope, hope that our time as a beacon for democracy and a champion for human rights has not ended. Of course, not everyone shares this optimism. There are still those out there who wish to continue the great divide for whatever reason. But for the first time in a long time, there is hopefulness. And come November 4th, the outlook is surely promising. And maybe, just maybe, we'll become the "United" States of America once again.

Reflections of a Breakup, Pt. II

When I first began to write this project, I wasn't sure how I was going to approach it. The roller coaster ride of this experience turns minute to minute, day by day. How often I chronicle these emotional twists and turns is really undecided at this point. So much has happened since my last posting, I'm not sure where this will take me, so here goes...

Today, the Christmas tree came down. The afternoon became unexpectedly emotional as we were faced with dividing the ornaments and trinkets we've accumulated over the years into his and mine.

"You want this?" I asked of a glass snowman we had purchased together at an upstate market.

"Um...you can take it?" he replied.

"How about the Lenox Christmas Tree candle holder?"

"Hmm...My sister gave that too us."

"Alright, you take it."

On and on it went. The drudgery of this task marked the end of a last Christmas and the beginning of the formal separation of a life together. The seasonal baubles we had collected over the years hadn't ever seemed like much, but having to stake or lose claim to these familiar effects was not a pleasant experience to endure.

The process was a primer for what's yet to come. There are many more articles to be divided. Mementos from trips to Italy and Bermuda, photographs, the dishware and cookware, the vacuum, the furniture, everything we've accumulated in twenty years together has to be declared by one of us. Now we're both the same personality type. That is, neither of us is capable of asserting dominance over anybody. There was really no argument, only slight expressions of discontent at losing an item. How can I expect that to hold true for the rest of our things?

For three months, we've coexisted in a stagnant unpleasantness, neither one of us making an effort to wrest ourselves from the comfort of the home we've lived in for ten years. But it is no longer a home. It's become just a house, a place to fulfill the functions of daily life, without the contentment that usually comes with such comfort.

Financially, it's difficult for either one of us to make a move towards the transition from couple to single. Indecisiveness and uncertainty have ruled over us. Emotionally, we both yearned for the separation, with the knowledge that in doing so, we can both begin the healing process. We have no choice but to move forward so we can both start our lives anew. The dismantling of Christmas hopefully was the wakeup call we both needed to move on.

In the aftermath of this emotional event, I saw an opening to tell him what I'd been planning. I wanted to buy our house. I've been contemplating it for awhile, but I hesitated asking him for fear of a negative reaction. He was the one who saw the vision upon first sight and turned it into a beautiful, welcoming abode I was proud of. In my eyes, it was an investment, an opportunity to stop wasting money on rent and save money by paying into equity. If he had said no, that he wanted to buy the house, I wouldn't have argued. Unfortunately for him, he's in less of a position financially to make the move. I want to avoid the pitfalls that come with the sale of a house, making things easier for both of us. To my great relief, he agreed. And I'm going to give it a shot. I'm terrified and excited at the same time. I've never lived alone and never had to provide for myself on my own income. I have no idea what's to come, but for me it's my best option. So now it's time to move...

Career change success stories

Changing careers is not an easy decision to make. People settle into a line of work for whatever reason and oftentimes people eventually realize that they are unhappy with that vital element of their lives. Feelings of being trapped in a stagnant position can spill over into other parts of a person’s life, creating a nagging aura of unhappiness and malaise. If you’re one of the many who feel unfulfilled or generally unhappy with your current position, taking a chance at just might be the jumpstart you need towards self-fulfillment and a more satisfying life.

As a high school student, I always got good grades. I consistently ranked at the top of my class and had my choice of a variety of high-quality universities. After graduation, I entered Fordham University, a well known institution in New York City. An education at such a university would have opened doors not available to many. Nevertheless, during my first summer vacation, I started working a full time job. In my youthful naiveté, I believed it to be the greatest thing in the world, earning a full-time paycheck. By the time September rolled around, I quit school. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this would become the single worst decision of my life to that point and thereafter.

Following my departure from school, I dallied in many jobs. I was a busboy and waiter, an office clerk, and even a stock boy in a department store. A high school diploma does not quite afford one many opportunities for a well paying job. Not one of these occupations would be considered a real career, only a job. By the time I reached the age of twenty-five or so, I began to yearn a better life, to do more with it, and to find a career that I could be happy and financially comfortable with.

At the age of twenty-five, I got lucky. I found myself a job at a nationally recognized corporate bank as a teller. With a few years, my determination and intelligence allowed me to work my way up to the management side of the banking floor, and I had found myself a bona fide career.

As I worked my way through the ranks at the bank, I became more and more enmeshed in the company. Earning a manager’s title signified a new commitment to the company that felt a lot like giving up my life. My time was no longer mine. I became stressed and started to hate my job. I had felt lucky to have salvaged a respectable career, but in my heart I knew it just wasn’t what I wanted. For the last several years of working at the bank, I dreaded waking up in the morning.

One weekend, in the spring of 2000, I had an epiphany. I had gone to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to visit an old high school friend who had become a lawyer. We spent the weekend relaxing in his beautiful home, with a manicured lawn, a kidney shaped pool and a Jacuzzi. We played pool in his air-conditioned game room. I spent the weekend quite impressed with all the amenities my friend’s livelihood had afforded him. Towards the end of our relaxing weekend, my friend told me that he had resigned his position at his law firm. He was feeling unfulfilled in his job and wanted to go back to school to become, of all things; a librarian.

I was stunned! I spent the five hour drive home completely astonished at my friend’s revelation. I just couldn’t believe that a lawyer, with all he had in life, wasn’t happy. I began to reflect upon my own life. I concluded that if someone like him could make such a drastic move, why couldn’t I? The next morning, I handed in my own resignation letter to the bank. At first, I had no real plans as to what I was going to do. I truly believed, though, that if I didn’t try, I’d be doomed to spending the rest of my days feeling miserable and unfulfilled, stuck in the quicksand of a job I hated.

Many people in my life have since lauded me for bravery in abandoning my career. To me, I didn’t have a choice. I was always feeling unfulfilled, but hadn’t realized it. By the end of that summer, I had enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a local university at the age of thirty-five. Before I knew it, I had finally received that long-elusive Bachelor’s Degree I had always regretted not achieving almost twenty years before.

Today, I am in my fifth year of teaching English to speakers of other languages at a local school district, and I couldn’t be happier. The life lesson that I’ve learned from this experience is that one should never plainly accept their lot in life. If a person’s not happy with their career, they will never really be happy in their own skin. A career is a major component of a person’s life, and if that slice of their pie doesn’t fulfill them, there will always be a regrettable void lying somewhere within them that will follow them wherever they go. Never believe it’s too late to change! Take chances, seek happiness, and it will come.

Finding the best jobs for your personality type

How can you find the perfect job for you? I did, and you can, too! All you need to do is spend a little time doing some self-examination and introspection. Take a close look at yourself, your likes and dislikes, your talents, and your dreams and eventually you can embark on a road towards the career you’ve always wanted, but didn’t necessarily realize.

During my thirties, I left a career I had worked in for fifteen years. Generally, I had been unhappy and unfulfilled in my job for a very long time. When I resigned, I knew I needed to find a better career for me, one that would fit both my personality and my skills. The following is a list of the steps I took to find my ultimate job:

- The first step in the self-examination process is brainstorming. That is, writing down whatever comes to mind during the process. There’s no need to contemplate the items on your list. Just put them down. Take out some paper and a pen and take a few minutes or so to create three separate lists:

o Careers I’d Like to Have - Jot down any type of dream job you can think of for yourself, without regard to how attainable you think it may be. The key here is, think big! Don’t try and convince yourself that this or that career would be an impossible goal. You may be surprised to find out that you may encounter a related occupation that may just be feasible for you.

o Thing I Like to Do – On this list, jot down all of the activities and hobbies you can think of that you enjoy doing. Include activities or duties from other jobs you’ve had that you enjoyed performing. This is important when considering possible career choice that will hopefully last a long time.

o My Talents - Finally, and this is the most difficult task of the three, write down your fortes. What are you good at doing? Everybody’s got some sort of talent. It’s not always easy to realize the strengths inherent in you, but they’re there. Discovering your hidden abilities will take a lot of contemplation, but it is critical to the process.

- It is not necessary to create all of the lists at the same time, or even on the same day. Anything worthwhile needn’t be rushed. Once you’ve compiled your lists, plan on revisiting them on a regular basis. Once or twice a week would be optimal. The one you need to focus on the most is the career list. Peruse the listings side by side, trying to figure out where your interests and talents match your career choices. At first, it will be easy to cross out career preferences, as this record should have been a long one.

- During the process, it would be beneficial to collect any resource materials that could give you any information on the jobs on your list. News items, course and college catalogs, and trade web sites can provide valuable information that can help you later on in the final decision-making process.

- After a few weeks, you should have narrowed the list down to no more than five choices. It’s decision time! At this point, you should have spent a good amount of time considering all the factors that go into achieving a true ‘dream job’. Such factors include: educational requirements, length of time needed to complete such training, as well as other steps needed to be taken, such as resume or portfolio building, finding and joining trade networks, and searching want ads to see what’s out there. Make your choice and go for it!

A dream job, to me, is one that a person loves doing. A career is a big part of a person’s life and choosing the right one shouldn’t be taken lightly. Though the earning potential of a job can be enticing, it is not the right choice if it doesn’t fit who you are as a person. Far too many people work a job because of the financial stability it offers, yet for many something is missing. If you’re one of those people who fit this description, give this process a try. Perform some deep introspection and evidently it will lead you to your dream job.