Most of my working life has been spent in some aspect of a service industry, with a smattering of bookkeeping gigs to escape the public when it got overwhelming. I never really chose it, things just sort of turned out that way. I waitressed during my high school years, worked in a Fotomat (remember those!?!) for a couple years after I graduated, then got into the banking world when I landed a spot handling vehicle titles. Banking, and then the mortgage industry, sucked me into their twisted little world. As the years went by, and I saw what was once a dignified industry morph into an unrecognizable monster, I longed to exit that nightmarish grind.
It finally happened, but not in the way I expected.
In November 2008, I was laid off from my processor's position. I didn't know it at the time, but I had escaped for good. My former employer actually told me to go sign up for unemployment benefits right away. It was all he could do, at that point, to help me. How ironic that my last employer was one of the best I'd had in 25+ years in the mortgage biz and I would have happily stayed on had circumstances allowed. Such are the twists in life, I suppose.
Adjustments took a while, but they did happen. Something that has kept me from becoming too bitter over the loss of my 'secure' livelihood, is being able to take the skills I had gained and put them to a more positive use. The foremost of those skills is service. When I had to figure out a way to bring in a paycheck, I ended up melding my former work skills with my love of critters. That's the point at which I called on the Kos community for input on starting my own business. (I'd been mostly a lurker for a couple years. I found this was the only reasonable place to keep up to date on credible political goings on.) It doesn't take long to realize this place is more than politics, so I knew there'd be someone who could offer intelligent input. Sure enough, folks helped me start my own business and even chose the name - Creature Comforts.
That was my first personal experience with the service side of this diverse group. As a Rescue Ranger, I've also seen so many different outpourings of this trait, it takes my breath away when I really start listing them...
- The IGTNT series
- Lovecatcher quilts
- Netroots for the Troops
- Disaster relief
- Veterans support
- Heating for those in danger of killing cold temps
- Serious weather outbreak coverage
- Home maintenance & remodeling tips
- Painting lessons
- Suicide prevention
- Medical interventions, and the list goes on.
Did you notice something missing from the list? Not one of those items is 'political', per se. It's all about helping each other. Just one of these 'projects' would be phenomenal. The number and variety listed here goes well beyond that.
That's what Markos is asking for when we look at the big picture. Signing up for a lifetime subscription or donating one to someone is just another way this incredible community serves to make our world a better place. The easier it is for those voices to be heard, the better situated we will be to continue the work needed to improve things for everyone.