The Gentleman from Reddit

I don't have a job, as you know if you have been reading my blogs.

Honestly though, who even has time for a job nowadays? I am way too busy trying to write blogs and edit my book and grow my Instagram following. 

It is going so  s l o w l y.  And, I am  n o t  patient.

And it takes so much time!  And effort!

For every Instagram follower I get it seems I lose two. Whyyyyy? Are my photos not good enough?

Anyway, that is not what this post is about.

This post is about my bad attitude, a nice person, and the state of Maryland.

The first week I filed for unemployment in Maryland, I thought, "Wow, what a breeze, I only have to answer a few yes or no questions."

I was wrong. 

In Maryland, weekly filing is easy but they actually make you do certain things in order to get paid. Luckily, I actually read my mail and saw that one of those things was that I had to attend a seminar about getting back to work. I was very annoyed by this as it was on the other side of town and was going take time away from writing, editing, promoting, and actually looking and applying for jobs. 

I had a really bad attitude.

When the day came for me to go to the seminar I was in a foul mood, a rare state for me. I do not like being a bad mood because I have meta feelings which means that I get in a bad mood about being in a bad mood. So, I was in a double bad mood.

I knew I needed to adjust my attitude so I could feel better but it just wasn't happening...

And then that is when, as so often happens to me, a stranger popped up and helped me out.

So, I have this "friend" who I met on Reddit. He was the first person who messaged me when I first posted a link to my blog there. He was my Reddit guide and guru and was so nice to me. He still messages me all the time and is so nice and thoughtful, always asking about my book and super supportive of my blog.

He happened to message me just when I arrived at the unemployment place. I told him what I was up to and let him know how I felt about it.

Did he jump on my bandwagon of negativity? No. You know what he did? He told me he had been through it himself and that he had found it actually helpful. He was so positive about it that he totally changed my mood and my attitude. If he had such positive things to say about it, maybe I should feel more positive. He made me feel better.

Since I had read my mail, I had followed the instructions and watched the (painful) 30 minute video you are supposed to watch before attending the session. So, I was relieved when at the beginning of the session, the facilitator told us that anyone who had not watched the video could go ahead and leave because they could not get credit for attending which also meant they were not eligible to receive their benefits for that week.

Phew. I was glad that wasn't me.

A woman in the group raised her hand and said in her most annoyed voice, "Does this mean I can leave and look for an actual JOB now?!?!"

She sounded how and said exactly what I had felt before Mr. Reddit stepped in. I was embarrassed for her. It was rude. It wasn't the facilitators' fault that she had to be there and it certainly wasn't their fault that she hadn't followed the instructions. Her poor attitude was very unbecoming.

I was so glad that hadn't been me because it very well could have been if not for Mr. Reddit and some serious attitude adjusting of my own.

And, Mr. Reddit had been right. The session did provide some useful information. I liked that the facilitators did not dumb down the information and were professional and empathetic. I was actually very impressed. And I was very impressed that the state of Maryland is spending so much time and money and effort to get its citizens back to work. Between the website and the facilitators and the space for the session, it was a lot! That sends a message to me that my state (and my country) care about me. That's an encouraging feeling. And, when you are unemployed, you need all the encouragement you can get.

It was cool.

It would have been a lot cooler though if there had been donuts.

Oh well.

The lesson here? Read instructions. Try to have the best attitude you can. Find things to be grateful for in everything you do. Try to be positive in the face of negativity and bring that positivity to others. Don't act in a way that is unbecoming, especially by taking out your shortcomings on someone who is just doing their job. But most importantly, don't be so afraid of strangers. I don't really know Mr. Reddit, I met him on Reddit for goodness sake! However, I sure am grateful for his supportive self. Thank you Mr. Reddit for helping adjust my attitude that day!

[The facilitators were not actually as strict as they had come off - after the rude lady asked her question they clarified that those who had not watched the video could actually stay and watch it, extending their time at the seminar an additional hour but at least getting credit, and thus their benefits benefits.]

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What do you do when you find yourself having a bad attitude? Tell me in the comments!

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