There you have it.
The holy temple of ice cream worship to the sacred gods of Haagen Dazs and our lords Ben and Jerry located conveniently on my nightstand. I converted shortly after my husband was laid off. Before unemployment had beset us, I had been a mere fan of sweets. I had not worshiped with nearly the same intense devotion as I do now. Now, I am committed to caramel, I piously pursue peanut butter cup and I revere rocky road. And what have the ice cream gods blessed me with? Ten extra pounds of chunkiness on my already less than lean figure. Ye cruel Blue Bell!!!!
The sad truth is unemployment and weight gain go hand in hand. There is less to do. So you do less and eat more. Part depression, part laziness, part plain ole’ broke-ness. We sit around eating, watching bad TV on a loop. Ice cream, cookies, pizza, 99 cent tacos and cheeseburgers round out our diet as we lounge in our pajamas memorizing full episodes of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Not a pretty picture. Especially if you imagine my shirtless husband with hot sauce dribbling on to his belly from his taco while he watches Mythbusters at two in the afternoon.
I’m not going to lie, being jobless is depressing and anxiety filled. We wonder what we could have done better, what we should be doing differently. We question who we are and what purpose we have or don’t have. Food comforts us and bad TV helps to keep our minds off of the countless resumes sent out with no reply and the encroaching sense of hopelessness that colors the borders of our unemployed existence. So until Nevada loses its top spot as the most unemployed state in the nation, I will drown my sorrows in a pint of B&J’s.
Hey Tabitha,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were doing this blog, but I can definitely relate. I am unemployed too and I can feel your pain with all of this. I will definitely keep checking this out. You're a good writer! See ya on Sunday. Hope you feel better.
Greg Gonzalez