The Eyes of the Employed

I walked out to my car in the mall parking lot, amazed at the happy, self-confident feeling that had suddenly swept over me. I had just completed my orientation to begin employment at the book store there and it was as though I were seeing the world in a new light. It was similar to the feeling that I'd had throughout most the month of December, while I'd committed to the backbreaking work of a seasonal driver helper for the United Postal Service. I felt lighter, the weight of unemployment lifted from my shoulders a replaced by a dawning sense of freedom, as though I had been liberated to rejoin the world of responsible, contributing members of society.