I am a judging fool.

Up until this last year, I was never once in my life unemployed by force.  In fact, since I was 14 years old, I continuously had a job - yes continuously.  I took off nine months when I started law school, but hopped right back into the workforce as soon as my first summer hit. 

I could certainly understand the challenges of finding that "first" job once out of school, whether it be undergrad or graduate school.  I reasoned that once you had a job and some experience to rely on that finding subsequent employment would be no big deal.

Now, in the past, I'd heard of people being laid off for lengthy periods of time.   First, I never thought this would be me (I suppose this is like assuming nothing bad will ever happen to you).  But second, I assumed that those who had been laid off for a long time and could not find work were either not looking hard enough or were not very good at their chosen profession.

God, I am such a jerk. 

Maybe this is where karma came back to get me, but I can almost guarantee that people have thought I am not looking hard enough or that I am a bad lawyer to not be able to find a job.  I mean, you should see the looks on people's faces when I tell them that the market in Minnesota is horrible for attorneys...they think my reasoning is total fugazi.  Perhaps they think that I am being fugazi as well.  That is certainly what I thought of others.

Well, I can assure that I have been looking very hard and you bet your ass I am a fantastic attorney.  So, while my "reasoning" may be true for a certain percentage of unemployed persons, it was absolutely asinine of me to assume my reasoning applied to all those unemployed for a long period of time. 

Reality bites.  And that reality is that many highly educated, highly skilled and highly motivated people are without work.  I supposed I had to become one of them to realize it.

Since I do not want to leave you with such a deep wallowing thought today - here is a video my husband sent me that I play over and over because it makes me smile :)