September Issue 107
www.thenewsyneighbour.com
Provided by Marcy Field
Parenting at times contains challenges;
perhaps, even more so for a single parent with a young son and infant daughter
during an economic downturn. Looking for work after having been out of the workforce
for almost three years can be gut wrenching. Wondering is there money for milk,
eggs and bread for the next few days. Seeing the majority of child support
income paying for housing because a place to live is essential and difficult to
find.
This is but one story of Albertans facing
difficult times. Listening to conversations about the province’s current change
in circumstances, one may believe this has never occurred previously in Alberta.
Surprisingly for today’s average working Albertan, this is true. They were an
infant or not yet born during the last major economic turndown from the late
70s to mid-80s.
The current Alberta unemployment rate of 8.6%
is far from its historic high of 12.4%, which occurred in October 1984 under a
Conservative government, which had been in power for over a decade at that
point.
It appears that the many of those who lived
and worked through those difficult times may have forgotten how grim it was.
Possibly because the majority of them experienced the ensuing upswing, incredible
prosperity and opportunities as things picked up and Albertans made their way
back to attain more than they had before.
Perhaps providing so much in those years for
the next generations, we failed to convey the tests and trials experienced
along the way. Consumerism and self-obsession were around in the 80s; yet like
today, some individuals and communities saw beyond themselves reaching out.
People looked for and found opportunities, capitalized on them creating a
different future, a different ending for the story. Along the way, they let go
of things to start afresh. Letting go can be more problematic than risking the
leap to new realities.
The single parent released expectations and
traditional thinking. Knowing people who just walked away from their homes with
mortgage rates ranging from 14.5% to a high of 21.75%, she decided to sell her
home, divesting herself of any property, so she could move into subsidized
housing. Her friends provided support emotionally and physically with food,
clothing and some financial aid. She volunteered to keep herself busy, often
riding her bicycle to work because there was no money for gas, her daughter in
the child carrier on the back and her son riding along beside her. The
volunteer position transitioned to part-time and then full-time employment. She
remarried, moved, made new friends, returned to university, enjoyed a career
she dreamed of and travelled the world. Her children obtained post secondary
educations, found fulfilling careers, purchased homes and thrived. They all
continue to reach out and give back. That single parent was this writer in 1984.
George Santayana provided the following
insight, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
It is valuable to spend time recalling
where we come from and what we experienced along the way. It is important for
our children and grandchildren to know things may not have been as they are and
may not remain so. Sharing our successes and failures hopefully teaches them and
if not enables them to learn along the way.
Take time to step back, perhaps way back. Look
at the bigger picture. It may change your perspective.
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