Friends of mine, or more accurately, my husband’s, encouraged me to apply at the new Sears store in town. Two of them were working there, making OK money and combining flexible hours with college. The day my job disappeared in Old Town St. Charles, I went to Sears and applied, getting a job in the appliances/electronics department right away, as a merchandise assistant. I worked about 25 hours a week and made barely enough to make it worth it. It was important to me, though because I finally had some friends in town — some people to talk to everyday and something to do with my time besides obsessing over my 10 month-old son.

I remember my boss, Stef, allowing me to set my own hours — 10am-2pm five days a week. I wanted to make sure I was home in time for Oprah. I watched more TV the first two years I was married than I ever will again. (See symptoms of depression: excessive TV watching.) The schedule worked for me as I eased into what I still found difficult — getting myself and a child out the door and still managing everything I needed to do at home. The first whole year I worked was like a practice run — the job was not demanding, but life was.

To be continued . . .

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