40 Reasons Why: Reason #2 - We're a long way from the street

40 Reasons Why: Reason #2 - We're a long way from the street

A little over a year ago, on Monday August 31st, 2009 in fact, I was laid off from my job with the UC Office of the President.  Let's see...how am I supposed to phrase that?  Oh, yeah: "Due to budget constraints the decision was made to temporarily cease operations at the Center while other, more cost effective ways to offer the program in these difficult economic times were developed." 

The following morning, for literally the very first time since 1975 when I started nursery school at Mrs. Degenaro's -- NOTE: I'm sure that wasn't the name of the place, but that's what we called it.  And I have no idea if I spelled her name correctly, 'cuz I couldn't read back then, either -- nobody was expecting me to be anywhere on that day or any day in the future.  Up until that morning, I hadn't quite realized how much of my self worth was tied up into stuff like having a job, having professional responsibilities, just plain old having a profession, bringing home the bacon every day, and feeling like I had a place where I belonged where I and my work were valued.  Nobody actually cut off my nuts, but it sure felt emasculating.  If you don't belive me, try it sometime.  I promise, you won't like it.

Of all the many wonderful things my very wonderful wife said to me during that time, the phrase that stuck out most was: "We are a long way from the street, Joaquin"  Even though it felt like we were on the brink of financial disaster, we were lucky enough to have a ton of resources to fall back on if I wasn't able to find work right away: a generous severance package, including health benefits, from UCOP; some rainy day savings; a massive network of friends and professional contacts; two moms more than willing to help out; likewise siblings and extended family; and let's not forget our youth, our health, and our enterprising spirits. 

Through the whole process of job searching and interviewing, "We're a long way from the street" became my mantra.  Maybe not as fun as: "Sit back, relax, have a homebrew," but a lot easier on the waist line.  Yeah, there were plenty of times when the mantra didn't help me get to sleep at night, but it sure did help to beat back the demons during my waking life.

Luckily, I found work very quickly.  But even though we were never in danger of losing our house, our standard of living, or any other comforts we've gotten for ourselves, the experience and emotions of having been laid off, cast adrift on the pink slip sea, if you will, has stayed very close to the surface for me and continues to affect my every day life.  Like getting engaged, the death of my father, 9/11, and the passage of Prop 8, it's become a defining moment in my life.

And that mantra, "we're a long way from the street," is something I think about almost every day, too.  Except now it also makes me realize how many other people are NOT a long way from the street as a result of having been unemployed or having public services yanked out from under them due to budgetary cuts.  One of my friends on the cycling team who works on the state budget said it best back in 2008: "Joaquin, people are going to start DYING as a result of this budget we're putting together." 

People are not only on the street because of this economic downturn, they're out on the streets dying there.  The tragedy is that with just a little extra funding, and maybe a shift in priorities here or there, they'd be off the street, getting better, earning a living.  So this $40G thing, it's partly a reminder to me of how excruciatingly lucky I am to have such a great support system that helps keep the street further away from me than for most.  And it's also an attempt to acknowledge that, while I view myself as a pretty capable guy, a lot of it is just plain old stupid, unfair luck and circumstance that puts me here and others out on the street.  Raising $40G is my attempt to provide at  least some relief where Lady Luck and The Man have fallen short.