Got to get this off my chest .Brief history i've had 2 months in a slacker style since leaving Royal Mail.Had a brilliant time hooked up with people off here for forum rides , in reasonable health , no pressing money worries and best of all fingers crossed going to Canada for the summer next year.All good, got myself a part time job cleaning in a care home for mentally handicapped adults.
Thats been going fine until this morning .Because it's every morning today i got a cob on before i started because i couldn't go off riding ..Got to work and a well deserved kick in the ass .Residents being fed their breakfast in baby bowls , some just staring into space , quite a few faces light up when you walk in the room (thats heartening and lump in the throat inducing at the same time ) and best of all when they were told they were going to be read a story about Paddington Bear they were so so pleased,and the carers all having a laugh and a joke (not at the residents expense )
So now i've finished until 10 o clock Monday what's my problem ?So to anyone currently out of work ,in a shit job ,not going to be having a good weekend or just generally feeling sorry for themselves like i was i hope this helps you feel like i do now.Life's what you make it so have a brilliant weekend whatever you are doing and thank you for the opportunity to get this off my chest .

Yeah.

I'm unemployed due to redundancy, my redundancy package is looking like it's going to be another couple of months away and the promised volunteering work from the Council has hit a brick wall.
My finances are shot, my Mortgage Insurance people are dragging their heels and the bank are getting antsy and i need to see the Doc again about getting back on the anti-depression medication.

Still, i'm off to play in the C15th at Blore Heath this weekend so at least i have that to look forward to – which is more than your clients have.

It's not necessarily heartening to know that other people (or creatures) are worse off than you. Are we to base our expectations on the worst case ?

It's a really simple, and TBH overused response to say 'there's always someone worse off than yourself', but until you experience it for yourself first-hand, you have no idea. Hope youre feeling OK oldfart, and good luck for next summer.

I think there is a world of difference between simply feeling sorry for yourself and really being in a shite situation.

quite a few faces light up when you walk in the room

That would be more than enough reward for me too, how many people here do jobs that can get that sort of response?

Nice one oldfart & good luck

That's why i want to retrain as a cycle instructor – i want to know i'm making a difference at something i enjoy.

It's been really, really difficult getting someone to answer my calls/e-mails etc and it's been getting me down to be honest.

However, i've just this minute received an e-mail from my CTC Cyling Development Officer about training and volunteering, i'll be speaking to her on Monday morning 🙂

you should never compare suffering. it's all about perception.

I've been a psychiatric nurse for twenty-odd years now, and although I currently work in a secure / forensic setting, I used to work, for about seven years, with people with dementia. To be honest, it's difficult to describe exactly how it makes you feel – I think you're reaction / response, etc, vary on a day to day basis. If you're having a shitty day, then (I found) it usually doesnt improve things, but later, when reflecting (sorry, slipped into mental health speak there),you realise that whatever's making your day shitty pales into insignificance compared to the people you're looking after. I wouldnt for a minute describe this as heartening, more sobering, in my humble opinion.

A mate of mine has just taken a big pay cut to get a job teaching Special Needs kids. I've never seen her so happy. She's loving it!!

I, on the other hand, run a business and in the present climate each day brings fresh catastrophe's. My stress levels are through the roof and I don't need to worry about pay cuts as I'm living off fresh air anyway.

I'm seriously thinking about the 'doing something useful' option

BarnsleyMitch – it's certainly not a job i could do. I honestly believe i would fail any pyschometric tests for a job in that sector.

Having said that, the idea of teaching yr 6 kids to ride bicycles for a living does have a 'smile' factor about it.

I know what you mean Binners.

I di 23yrs in engineering/manufacturing and whilst i would certainly take a job doing that again if it were offered right now, ideally i want to do something that gives me a feeling of achievement each day.

Trouble is, muddydwarf, they didnt offer psychometric testing when I applied! For better or for worse, it was very much 'sink or swim' back then.

I'm not sure i like the idea of that BM!

Sounds a bit 'cuckoo's nest' when you put it like that… 😯

I know how you feel Binners: "A fresh catastrophe everyday". Sales & Marketing Director for an events company. Managing to keep everything going, but its been a tough year. Sick of quoting for things, reducing them and then having the client say someone else is willing do it for half the price (because they are so desperate they are just working for wages and giving everything else away for free).

Working with people does often put things into perspective, brings joys, sadness and sometimes just shocks you the way some people live either through misfortune or their choice. No matter what I've seen over the years, I've seen some people at very lows and disturbing situations, there's always something comes a long and shocks me even more.

Oh and a cob on where you from clearly is something entirely different from where I live.

There were times that I thought the same thing! However, I've always thought (and before anybody jumps down my throat, I know its a somewhat outmoded concept) that nursing was a calling rather than a profession.
I think the bottom line is this – whatever job you do should bring a level of personal satisfaction, otherwise its not worth doing. Dont get me wrong, I'm on a decent enough wage (though sadly, not the amount that the daily bleeding mail insists we're on), but without the occasional good day or positive response from a patient, it's not worth it.

Rockitman – I sympathise.

Tonight i'm going to a place called Blore Heath to take part in a C15th re-enactment and whilst the scene is (mostly) amateur level the organisation in charge – in this case the Wars of the Roses Federation – still have to run like a business, albeit a non-profit one.

Trying to get places/sites/events to pay a going rate for what we offer is getting harder by the month. They ask for a high level of 'professionalism' from the groups involved but balk at the fee we need to ask. Our members don't get paid – it's our hobby – but the vehicle hire/insurance/food etc still have to be paid for plus you are leaning on the personal experience/education of the re-enactors to put on an informative and entertaining show.