Back Home Again

Early this week, I had to make a trip back home to Sevierville, TN for a court appearance. Due to my being unemployed for the past several months, I had requested a reduction in child support. I used to love to travel long distances but it seems that lately, I dread every time I have to make a road trip of any length. In order to help reduce the stress that I was already under, as well as to avoid heavy truck traffic that seems to be the norm along I-81, I chose to travel US Route 11 for a majority of the trip. The backroads, although slower and thus more time consuming, always seem to be more scenic.

I left Sunday morning and drove 100 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Waynesboro to Roanoke. The weather was fantastic and afforded the opportunity to take a few pictures from several of the overlooks. This was a stretch of the Parkway that I had not visited very often, and although less scenic than portions further south, it nonetheless provided for a pleasant drive. Once in Roanoke, I picked up Rt. 11 South and aside from a stop for fuel in Wytheville, drove straight through to Damascus. I had hoped to spend the night there, but there were no places available so after visiting with a couple of friends, I drove to Kincora Hostel near Hampton, TN where I spent the night.

The following day I drove to Sevierville and rented a hotel room for the evening. That evening,I had dinner with my Dad, whom I hadn't seen in about 18 months. Following my court appearance on Tuesday, I spent some time driving around different parts of the Smokies including the Greenbriar area. That night, I stayed with a friend near Hartford, TN and drove back home on Wednesday. It was a relief to be done with the driving, but overall I had a good time.

Success Is Never Final

As I was surfing the web this evening, I came across a story about Kathleen Vermillion and her work in Las Vegas among homeless youth. She too had dealt in the past with homelessness, depression, and substance abuse. Three years ago, as she pursued political office, she described her life as a "rags to riches" story. However, in recent weeks, things began to unravel and she found herself face to face with issues, I' sure she felt were in her past. I've posted the link below so I won't go into detail with her story but simply use it as a launching pad for commenting on my own experience.

I've mentioned before that in 2008 I was diagnosed with depression. In a brief moment in time, my emotions crashed around  me, leaving me unable to sort through various personal issues I had been dealing with for several years. Through therapy, I found out that a major part of my depression was situational. Being unemployed and unable to meet my basic financial needs was the major trigger; so long as I was working things were fine. But when the economy tanked and I found myself without a job or a place to call home, the downward  spiral began. I have struggled with recurring depression over the past several weeks as the prospects of finding work dimmed and my remaining finances dwindled. It can be difficult to reach out for help because it involves an uncomfortable level of vulnerability. Many times I've thought that I had my personal demons under control only to find out that they were just waiting in the shadows for an opportunity.

Since I've started this blog, circumstances have changed. Last week, I was offered a position with a firm that does the lawn maintenance at Arlington National Cemetery. I am scheduled to start work in mid-March, and while that would be a very good  thing, I can't count on any position until I actually start work. Circumstances change and anything could happen. I hope for the best but am prepared for disappointment. I've began the process of seeing a counselor once again, something that I haven't done since I was in the VA hospital in Johnson City over a year ago. Things aren't as bad as they were four years ago, and just simply having a job offer has made a difference. I want to keep moving forward and not fall back into old thought patterns and  destructive habits. Success in life is never final; it is something that I must continually reach for.

For more on Kathleen Vermillion, click here.

Homelessness and Poverty in America

Homelessness and poverty are issues that are faced by millions of Americans on a daily basis. It affects people of all ages, backgrounds, race, creed, and color. Having been homeless before, I know first hand what people have to do to survive. Shelters are full and the government wants to cut funding to social services while providing tax breaks for the richest Americans. The Department of Veteran Affairs has set a goal to end homelessness among veterans within five years, but they seem unable to meet the demand as more veterans return home with no job, and no place to turn. I have been told that there is at least a two week waiting period for a homeless veteran to get into one of the VA's homeless programs. Good, but not good enough.

Since losing my job with the Park Service this past December, this is something that I must deal with every day. I only see $720.00 per month from unemployment benefits. Those benefits could very likely expire next month, leaving me without any income to pay for even the basic needs of life. Congress is debating cutting social services so desperately needed by the poor, while pursuing tax cuts for the rich. My landlord is a fantastic person who understands my dilemma and has been working with me. But in spite of everything, the truth of the matter is without a job, I too will soon be homeless and will have to make some important decisions.

I have included the video below as part of this post. It is a special produce by the BBC entitled "Poor America". It shows in stark terms, the things people do just to survive. I honestly believe every person should watch this, and that is not something I say very often. Homeless people won't just go away. Our government is turning it's back on the people who need help the most. Mitt Romney's assertion that the poorest among us have a safety net, may be true in theory, but in every day reality, people are slipping through the net every day.

Hikers And Hiking

Bears Den Lodge and Hostel

I find it unbelievable that it has been a month since my last post; so much has happened. At the end of January, I went to the RUCK at Bears Den Lodge near Berryville, VA. The RUCK is an informal gathering of hikers and is put on by ALDHA, Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. I spent three days there and it was a great opportunity to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while, as well as to make new friendships. I have spent many nights at Bears Den over the years and find it to be one of the better places along the AT to stay.

A few days after the RUCK, I made an overnight camping trip to Great North Mountain on the VA/WV border. This  area lies west of Edinburg, VA and north of Harrisonburg. There are many of trails in this area as well as a great little campground  at Wolf Gap. It was from the campground that I hiked up to Big Schloss, a large rock outcropping that straddles the ridgeline. It was a spectacular day.

The view from Big Scloss

I am continuing the job search process and am beginning to get some responses from prospective employers back. I have to make a trip to Tennessee at the end of this month and it would be nice to have something to come back to. In any case, I am trying to figure out my plans for afterwards. I recently signed up for services with the VA hospital in Martinsburg, WV since I no longer have any medical coverage of any type. Luckily there is an outpatient clinic about 30 miles away in Harrisonburg. I am doing my best at maintaining a positive outlook, although I don't always succeed.

Selling Myself

     Being unemployed can create a lot of stress on a person. Just because you aren't employed doesn't mean that the bills stop coming in. I've found that just the daily activity of looking for a job can be stressful. It seems that every day,I find at least several job openings available in my area. The problem is that I'm not the only one looking for work. I still haven't quite figured out how to market myself for every one of those jobs. Having spent a good deal of time in a non-traditional job (i.e.-trail  construction), it is a challenge to convince prospective employers that I have skills other than simply playing in the dirt.

     Some positions, such as landscaping and tree work, are much easier to apply for considering my job skills. However, winter time is typically not the season that these types of positions become available. I am finding that I have to tailor every cover letter to the specific position I am looking into and at times it can be a struggle to figure out how trail construction skills could be applied in a warehouse situation. Once all is said and done, I should be able to just about anything to just about anyone!

Surviving Unemployment

   Although I haven't worked in a little over two weeks, at times it feels much longer. There are some things That I am discovering that seem to help relieve some of the stress and boredom that accompanies the job search process.

    First of all, jobs don't come looking for you, you have to search them out. I've been treating my job search almost as if it was a treasure hunt or the latest video game. I'm finding that the old methods of job hunting no longer apply. With the advent of the Internet age and social media, a lot of companies want you to apply online. In some ways this helps to expand the job search; I'm not restricted to pounding the pavement in one small locality. I look at other job markets and locations. Of course, if you don't have the freedom to move from one location to another, this could limit your job prospects.

   The second thing I've found is it that it is extremely important to have a hobby or two. For myself, as I have mentioned previously, photography is something that I have an interest in. I find myself spending a little time each day working with my photographs-scanning more into my computer, organizing them or digitally editing them. To take a rough photo and work with it until you create something that brings satisfaction, helps me deal with a lot of the stress that goes along with being unemployed.

View from Mt. LeConte , GSMNP, TN (original)

 Here on the left is an example of a photo as it was when the film was developed...

View from Mt. LeConte, GSMNP, TN (edited)

 

  ...and then on the right is the finished product using a couple of online editing  programs.


    Looking for employment can be a tedious and mentally draining process.It helps me though, to have something to turn to when the process becomes overwhelming.

Looking For Work In All The Wrong Places

     It is amazing how difficult it is to find a job these days. I was in this same situation a little over a year ago and was unemployed for all of 2010. It makes life a little bit tough at times. I have been putting out applications this week for positions in different places. Admittedly, it is primarily for the purpose of keeping my unemployment responsibilities in line, but I never know where lightning might strike. There have got to be jobs out there somewhere, people are still being hired.

Where are the jobs?

    The biggest struggle I have is trying to figure out how to market myself. For someone who has spent a good part of life building trails, I have to get creative when trying to figure out how my skills might fit into a vacant job position that I would like to apply for. Grounds maintenance, a tree service company or even an outdoor retailer are positions I could see myself qualified for. But there aren't that many of those type positions available right now. So what to do in the meanwhile?

     I think that I have decided to stay here in Luray until at least the end of January 2012. I have a place to stay and there are some important loose ends that I still have here. If something turns up, job wise, all the better. I suspect I might have to take a position in Harrisonburg, about 30 miles away, but it is a larger college town with a couple of distribution centers for large retail chains. Also, Miller Coors has a plant about 20 miles south of here, so there are some options. But how exactly do I land one of these positions when I know I have no qualifications for that type of work?