Unemployment is something I'm not all too familiar with. While I grew up helping in the family business, which varied from year to year, I was comfortable with the kind of work and jobs that make the world go round. Nothing special or fancy, just manual labor and being a street vendor. How I've loathed and hated all of those past jobs, but not without taking away valuable lessons from doing them.
It's only been within the last two years or so that work became stable and I was no longer doing odd jobs here and there to make a living. Stability is the shit. I've lived the majority of my life going from hand to mouth. I learned to be resourceful and how to hustle living like that with my family. Most if not all those skills I picked up during those times have helped me in every aspect of my life.
Stability afforded me many first these last few years, and I have been blessed tremendously everyday since, but everything changes after a while. A week ago, I was working three jobs and now I'm down to 1 1/2. I was working two part time jobs that added up to full time at the end of the month and free lancing here and there. Doing that allowed me to just move in to a new place this past July and to visit my family living in Utah later this month. I was let go from one part time job and I had to cut back time on the other part time gig as well, leaving me with freelancing and a few hours of work a week.
For a good while there, I was in a panic and thought to myself, what the fuck and I gonna do. I've been in these situations before and wasn't falling apart when things crashed down. Instead, I took the sudden free time I have to get to some pending work done, went on a few bike rides and enjoyed my time as a kind of sudden break from the pace I was keeping up working. I also had close friends help me with some next steps, but mostly offering the kind of support one needs when down on the dumps like that.
At the same time though, I was ready for this change in jobs. Before everything went down, I already applied to another part time that involved more of the work I want to do versus the work I can do and get paid for. The first interview went great and that it carries on to the next one. I would love this gig because of the organization I'd be with and the community I'd be working with. Whatever is in the cards, I'll be on top on my game to make sure that I'm able to stay where I'm at right now. I've worked hard and have put in my time to be where I'm at. I'm not losing it all without a fight.
Besides, when I think of everything I've done without having DACA to make things easier, I know I'll bounce back. Even if it means doing work that I thought I would never have to do again, I'll do what I need to, to survive at the end of the day. No matter how high up the ladder I go, I'll always be working class. I know how to survive and adjust.