A couple of weeks ago I wrote, “Fresh Direct is the Zappos of food delivery. Great products, great variety, and great customer service.” Someone from FD responded with:
Wow! Love the first two sentences of this post!
Would you be willing to let us use that?
If so, drop a line and let us know.
At first I thought it was a joke, but then realized it wasn’t when they wrote to me directly from a Fresh Direct address.
When I wrote about my wonderful brother-in-law, on his 60th birthday, a friend I’ve known for 30 years wrote:
As I was reading about your brother in law I couldn’t help but think. Hmmm. If she could have had the “perfect” husband way back then would she have taken him. and the honest answer “NO WAY”. The chaos and the uncertainty of your life is what you relish and what has made it so much fun. Predictable is just not you.
And today I see an anonymous comment from a reader who wrote in response to my recent weight graph:
In reading your blog it seems as though you have far more important things to focus your attention toward than tracking how many ounces you've gained. Perhaps it's now time to shift gears and find a new goal that will make an equally important difference in your life...
First, I really appreciate the comment. And second, Anonymous is absolutely right. Now that I know how to lose weight, it is something I can do and feel good about. But at this point, I shouldn’t be focusing on miniscule weight gains. I know that I will always stay within two pounds of 120, so really, I shouldn’t even bother writing about it. It actually sounds silly (and self-involved) to stress over a few ounces. And yes, I do have more important things to stay focused on. Most importantly, I need to find a job. The problem is that I don’t know how, because whatever I have been doing isn’t working.
I’ve exhausted my requests to friends and colleagues. I answer ads online and never hear back. I reach out to companies I am interested in and write them detailed, compelling letters and get pat “thank you for your interest but” letters back from someone in HR. Constant rejection is hard to stomach. I’m open to more junior positions (but companies want junior people in junior jobs) and the more senior positions go to people who are currently doing the same job elsewhere and who are younger (I need to be realistic; I may feel and look younger, but I will be 60 in a few weeks).
I wish there were a proven plan that I could follow for getting employment. Helpful friends have suggested jobs in retail (they now all pay on commission), and real estate (which I’m just not at all interested in).
I have impressive credentials that someone have been made invisible. I don’t write about this often, but it is something I live and breathe.
If I were on Weight Watchers for a few months and not losing weight, I’d figure out what I was doing wrong and fix it. I have to think like that about getting a job.
Thank you, Anonymous, for caring.
I just wanted to add that although it may seem insignificant, the whole issue of maintaining weight loss is a big deal and I am very interested in hearing how "L" manages this part of the process. There has been so much written on this topic which is very discouraging (Gina Kolata comes to mind) but here we have a great case study for how to do it right. Just as her weight loss inspired so many of us, I am routing for "L" to continue to be a role model in what many describe as the most difficult part of weight control. By the way, if "L" weren't so honest about herself and was perfect in every way, who would want to read this blog?
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