Unemployment: Unintended Consequences

Note: I have been unemployed since January 20. It is not all bad. In fact, there have been some precious, wonderful moments during this period as I try to find the perfect fit for me, work into doing some consulting in the interim and weigh my options. But there have been unexpected consequences of unemployment that I was not prepared for.

Lately, I have been annoyed every morning at dog walking time. My job loss, however indirectly, has resulted in a profound shortage of the essential plastic poop bags for the morning walk.

Once I faced the reality of unemployment, a few months into the year, I started cutting back on expenses. Reluctantly, I gave up The Wall Street Journal (great plastic poop bags), then The New York Times (also with great plastic poop bags), except for the Sunday edition. What remains is one poop bag a day from The Washington Post. It’s an equally good poop bag, but one bag is inadequate for the production of an 11 year old lab. I need three bags a day and I only get one newspaper.

I have turned to plastic grocery bags, when I can get them, out of desperation. But I have very few of them because I have reusable bags. And, the grocery store bags get little holes in them, clearly defeating the purpose of using them for poop bags. If I wanted poop on my hands, I would not have this problem in the first place.

Now, when friends come over and bring things in plastic bags, I thank them profusely. I cherish each plastic bag like a gift from heaven, sometimes to their annoyance as I ignore the gift or food inside in my excitement about getting another poop bag. Each new addition is quickly added to the stash in the closet, ready for the next day’s deposit.

It may sound trivial, but it is an unintended consequence that causes a lot of extra stress in my morning routine. It’s the little things that get you down. The symbolism is astonishing. Literally, these are poopy times.

This is the first in what I envision will be a long list of unintended consequences of unemployment. Stay tuned. Tomorrow I will add something new. Do you have any additions?

Update --- This posting has resulted in an outpouring of offers of newspaper bags. I have a good supply now and do not need any more.  Thank you.