newbuzz...As I ponder the upcoming first day on my new job, I cannot help but reflect on the last twelve weeks of unemployment. At first, I was busy catching up on rest from the last six years of working full time and attending weekend college. Then, I spent a few weeks in a frenzy of activity around the house and yard. I did all the cleaning and organizing that had gone by the wayside far too long. I completed half finished craft projects and made new items for Christmas gifts. All the while, I was intently looking for jobs. I scanned the internet job boards and sent out resume after resume. I read rejection emails, and went on interviews. Finally, I began to relax. I slept soundly through the night. I woke up when I was rested. I got dressed when I felt like it, and left the house on my own schedule. I realize now that what I gained from losing my job was my own locomotion. I truly had control of my day in a way that I had not had in a long time. So, for a few short weeks, my economic security was traded for the personal freedom of my own time management. I did not have to worry because I was not rushed into anything and therefore I did not have the tendency to forget. There was plenty of time to get things done and to rest and relax. As I prepare for reentry into the work world, I want to remember how restorative it has been to stop swimming upstream, and just go with the flow.