I stumbled upon this book via the guardian angel of Amazon. It was one of those situations where they say " if you enjoyed this book, then other readers have also read THIS book." How could I possibly go wrong with a personal recommendation like that?
Personally, I do believe that I have a guardian angel of literary suggestion. She may have been Sister Mary Librarian in a former life who narrowly missed out on canonization as a saint by spending too much time retreating behind stacks of books.
When looking for guidance, or plagued with dilemma, I often turn to the library, the stack of books, piled by my bed,, or journey to the cathedral of Barnes and Noble.
Pose a question, flip a page randomly and trust that what you need to know will be the paragraph you first lay eyes on. I am so guided that once at Barnes and Noble, when distressed about an impending divorce, a book literally jumped off the shelf and landed at my feet, the page open face down. It was eerie because no one else was in that aisle or the one behind. When I lifted the book, the open page was titled " How to Know When a Difficult Relationship Must End." Bingo! Just what I needed to read make sense of a painful situation. Guardian angel watching out again.
In the midst of mid life ( okay, I'm exaggerating a little here, later than mid life) career change, I have been searching job opportunities on the popular websites. Tonight, I spent several hours on Craig's List. Some ads dazzle with opportunity. Employee beware. If they are selling you on how fabulous they are and how much money they are dying to pay you, read the very, very tiny print at the bottom. It says commission only and may involve consumption of carcenigenic liquids. Other ads seem plausible until you see the last phrase " must speak Mandarin". If you didn't know, they teach that as a second language in upscale preschools here in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is also offered at summer day camp along with advance beading, sailing, tennis and Baby Zumba. Is it of some concern that the suggestion for fluency in another language is Mandarin rather than Spanish? One might have to conclude that we are more in danger of being repossessed by China than overrun by Mexican neighbors, a distinct possibility.
Two hours into my venture for the intrepid job hunter, I am boggled by " must be proficient in THAC, HVAC, MEDIVAC or Doodle Bug Manager". Are they requiring that I studied at trade school, medical school or preschool? They may even require a Class DDD license. Where do you get that? Frederick's of Hollywood School of Truck Driving in High Heels?
Like many people I know, retirement is a long way off, if ever. Friends have borrowed against their home equity to stay afloat during the economic downturn.
Several are working two or three part time positions to make ends meet. Cutting corners has become an art form like economic origami. It's a good thing that robbing Peter to pay Paul is not punishable by law. The prisons are bursting at the seems already. People like myself are talented, experienced and usually well educated, yet are having difficulty securing viable employment. I have seen some with MBAs, and even a law degree rejected in favor of younger, less experienced applicants. We are not documented statistically because we are not on unemployment. If you are caught in the gap between your COBRA medical benefits running out and being eligible for Medicare, you are SOL. Following a recent international chat room discussion online, the topic was the corporate benefits of using freelance contractors. The American Dream for many baby boomers has become a nightmare of escalating costs and shrinking income.
Back to the aforementioned book. I wish I could invite the author over for an evening of wine and conversation. She is candid, relaxed and laugh out loud funny in her approach to the topic of creating an ideal career by caving to the compulsion of inspired work. Tama Kieves writes from the heart and expresses the logic of following inner urges. It is great primer on figuring out what you want to be when you grow up for those who already have ( grown up, not figured it out already). Her companionship in written word has been a welcome distraction and enlightening encounter via guardian angel.
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