The "Smug Workers"

Remember "smug-marrieds"? Bridget Jones' married friends that always pitied her and felt superior to her for being a singleton? Well, I've got "smug workers."

These are the people that feel bad for me because I'm funemployed and couldn't possibly understand how I could enjoy this time in my life. I must be lazy. Off my rocker. Outright lying. Nope. Wrong, wrong and wrong.

But I get it. If you're working 40+ hours per week doing the job of 2+ people, you've got to tell yourself that it's better than being funemployed. Life would end on layoff day. I thought that. I panicked and thought I'd fall into a deep depression. I also thought that not having work would be like losing my soulmate. Not so much.

Of course, I don't have a family. No one is depending on me for income. I have a lot more flexibility and can be nimble in how I make money. I can't survive on unemployment alone. But my mind's wheels are constantly turning (there are now ads on this page!).

Soooooo, no need to pity me. Don't think that working status defines me. Don't deny or undermine my happiness. And, smugness is like smog: polluting and unattractive.