Happiness is a journey

They range from the freshly graduated 23-year-old whose been ousted from his first job to a 61-year-old who blames the Chinese for killing the American textile industry.

Mostly white-collar, few of them expected to find themselves unemployed. They’re lawyers, physician assistants, computer programmers, advertising agents and opera singers (OK, maybe she could have seen unemployment coming). They have been jobless for an average of four months. They’ve downsized apartments. They’ve moved in with friends. Three of them have lost weight from their cutback on groceries (there is a silver lining to everything).

“I’m seriously sad,” Lauren Diamond admitted to Time magazine. “But,” concludes the victim of recession-era layoffs, “at least I’m not from Lehman Brothers.”

Then she steps up to see how far she can throw an office telephone wrapped in electrical tape.

They are the “unemployed Olympians,” 30 or so contestants gathered in Manhattan’s Tompkins Square Park on a Tuesday afternoon to try their hand at the Payday pinata, Pin-the-Blame-on-the-Boss – “The Feds,” “The Economy” and “Consumer Spending” are also available targets for those who prefer – the “You’re Fired!” footrace, and the Telephone Toss in first-ever “Unemployment Olympics.”

“It’s not like I have anywhere I have to be,” explained Elia Roldan to Time. “I mean, not anymore.”

Quite frankly, I must commend the Unemployed Olympians. I can only hope that should I ever find myself with nothing to do on a Tuesday afternoon, I will be both creative and motivated enough to spend my time organizing an event that involves chucking office telephones.

More importantly, I think it’s great that despite the prospect of living with their parents at 45, they still know how to have a good time.

“Happiness,” as one of my favorite quotes goes, “is a journey, not a destination.” Yes, the recession is painful. But recessions are a natural part of the business cycle.

We need them to do things like reverse the U.S. dollar’s free fall – despite that warnings from France, China, Venezuela, Iran and most notably supermodel Gisele have failed, I think a recession will drive the message home – and just maybe force fiscal restraint back into government.

Our government may even be forced to tackle the entitlement disasters that are Medicare and Social Security.

Besides, it’s not like we can do anything about it. So we have to make the most of it.
Take advantage of Walgreens’ goodwill and get your checkups for free in their in-store clinics. Get that free Denny’s Grand Slamwich (but go running afterward, for Pete’s sake). Go to Disney World for free on your birthday.  

Hell, we could have our own Olympics! Tuesday I’m booked, but Wednesday afternoons are totally free (who needs Spanish class?).

Dunn Meadow for a game of Pin-the-Blame? See you there!