The husband of a friend lost his job early in the recession. Months later, we caught up.
The life he’d planned was over, he told me. He and his wife had gone through their savings, and he didn’t know if he could keep his home. They were getting by on her salary and help from relatives as he applied to work as a teacher. He’d always wanted to teach when he retired, he said. Apparently, God thought that was too long to wait.
The economic upheaval of the past few years forced many Americans into coping strategies they’d never have considered or risked in the past. As the economy improves, more and more people are looking at what they’ve survived and how they’ve managed and realizing they’re stronger than they thought. Some also are wondering if they’ve stumbled into something that might eventually make them more independent and secure.
When it comes to work today, what’s secure? Look around. Without question, the most vulnerable and least educated have been hit hardest, yet plenty of the seemingly secure have also been affected. In general, our sense of security has changed. Now, being creative and staying current are the new norms. Being resilient is everything, and nothing makes you resilient like surviving something you didn’t think you could endure.
Since most of my friends are women, I hear more about women finding creative ways to make a new life for themselves. Some have spouses who’ve also lost jobs or suffered cutbacks in hours or pay. Some are self-supporting, some have children at home. Most worked their whole lives in traditional, 9-to-5 jobs. They saved, gave and planned. They did not see this coming.
Over the past few years, these women crafted new lives for themselves. Few have reached a point where they’re comfortable, but many are almost there. Not only are they incredibly resourceful, they’re also determined not to repeat the mistake of thinking one job will provide security forever. They’ve started Internet businesses, gone back to school and worked part-time in literally whatever they could find. They’ve networked in new ways and freelanced whenever possible. They’ve cut back, cut down and done without.
Our resilience is something to be proud of. It’s always been part of our national culture. Most of us know people who have struggled through stunning setbacks, survived immense disappointments and still tried again. This isn’t like being thrown off a horse and getting back on. This is getting thrown, being trampled, then watching the horse run away and leave you in the middle of nowhere. Now you have to get your bruised, suffering self up and start walking — toward a destination you’ve never seen.
These past years we’ve been humbled. We’ve also been reminded that wealth and prominence don’t always come with intelligence, wisdom or integrity. The list of big players who’ve filed bankruptcy is long, but not nearly as long as the list of people affected — directly and indirectly. Hopefully, we also are wiser and perhaps in the future will choose our partners and place our respect and admiration more carefully.
Resilience, resourcefulness and determination after major setbacks are American character traits. As the economy rebounds, we’re hopeful, yet cautious. Most of us know someone who has lost his job, home, marriage or savings in these last years, yet has survived and come out the other side. The very fact of his doing so tells us we could do that, too. It doesn’t make it easier for anyone, but it does expand our definition of who we are as a nation and what we as a people are capable of. In that way, we’re all stronger. Hopefully, we’re also smarter.
E-mail Jennifer Hansen at jhansen@arkansasonline.com.