Hope

It was September 11, 2001. I had been out of work for over two months. After finishing my morning routine, I sat down to my computer to check the emails, job boards, etc. I noticed a story on my home page about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. Immediately, I turned on the TV to watch the situation. I was horrified to see the second plane hit, and riveted to the TV for the day. With the gloom of that event, I felt a decided loss of hope - in a personal way, hope that I'd be able to find a job in the near future.

Today, I sat in the same family room at the same desk (different computer and TV). I've been unemployed for 4 months to the day. I decided to watch the inauguration and listen to President Obama's (doesn't that sound good?) message. This time, instead of hope draining from me, hope began to fill me. If you've been reading my blog, you know that I'm some kind of a mix between realistic and optimistic. So I know that I'm not going to get that call tomorrow about my perfect job. And I realize that economically, things will likely get worse before they get better. But the messages from the President, and his world view, give me hope. Hope that we can once again have an economy based on peace and not war. Hope that the US will lead the world. Hope that will translate into a rebound for the economy and selfishly, a job for me.

Hope.