Laid off is no way to live

For the last few summers, I've worked a job as a laborer for a guy who builds stone patios and retaining walls.

It's a tough job, especially in the summer heat. It requires stamina, the ability to think on the fly and the ability to troubleshoot. Despite the long hours and sweat-drenched days, I've enjoyed the job. I've learned a lot about who I am and how much I can do. I also enjoy the camaraderie that comes with doing manual labor. Driving heavy machinery is an added bonus, as the first job I ever wanted was to be a backhoe driver.

All in all, it's not a bad way to spend the summer and make some extra money.

This season started off strange. After being laid off for the winter months, I spoke with my boss in the middle of March, and he said we'd be starting up at the end of March. I couldn't wait to get back to work.

As I prepared myself to start working again, late March turned into April, and then early May. I finally went back to work at the end of May, two months later than I expected. I worked on several different jobs, but wasn't too busy, overall. It seemed like a bad omen that I was being sent home early a few times a week, but no one seemed too concerned about it, and I went with the flow.

In the last week of July, I worked two days and was told to stay home for the rest of the week.

I knew things weren't going well. The economy is bad, and people aren't spending thousands of dollars to put in stone patios. Still, I was hopeful, as my boss has a reputation of always being able to find work.

The Sunday after having most of the week off, I called him, as instructed, to see where I'd be working that week. As soon as I said hello, my boss started in with the bad news. Jobs had fallen through, and he didn't have enough lined up to keep everyone on. He said he wished he could tell me in person, but he had to let me go.

The sadness in his voice while telling me was worse than the news he was delivering. This is his how he makes a living, and if he couldn't afford to keep me on, things must have been bad. I thanked him for the opportunity to work for him, and he said he'd call me back if more work came up. I proceeded to drive around for an hour, completely unaware of where I was going.

Being laid off is an incredibly hard thing to go through. It completely changes the trajectory your life is on and changes your lifestyle. It puts stress on relationships and, to state it plainly, it is depressing.

Unemployment is never enough, and finding a new job, especially with the daily reminders of how bad the job market is, is a daunting task. The idea that it is "cool" because you get to "sleep in" is complete fabrication. To me, it's an awful feeling.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this, and I hope most people don't. I've actually been back to the job a few times since, but nothing really substantial has come up. The important part is that you keep your head up, and try to control as much as you can.

Despite the setback, I've found that I am an eternal optimist. I'll be job-hunting this semester, but I'm hopeful it'll lead to something better.

Michael Canfield can be reached by email at canfield.record@live.com.