I realized this sometime back.
I was unemployed 2008-2009
and am unemployed late 2014-present 2016.
During my first unemployment/career break/whatever you call it, I realized it very quickly.
All my so called friends from work started disappearing.
I call them to meet up for lunch around their work place, they don't respond, or make excuses like they will ask someone else I know and we can go together and they won't get back to me.
It manifests in similar ways. But people generally will start to avoid you.
Either they now find you useless to them or they are concerned you might want something from them.
But I don't blame them. I expected it to happen.
I'm not particularly hurt by it. I'm just highlighting this to readers if they choose to be unemployed, this might happen. MIGHT.
I've heard this has happened to other folks who pursued the same path as well. They left their old jobs and suddenly people didn't want to have lunch with them. Then when they got better jobs after that, lunch appointments started filling up again.
It's a despicable world. I know. That's how it works so I'm not too bothered.
Just note that some of these "friends" who avoided me used to lunch with me regularly. Something like your regular lunch-kakis whom you lunch with and discuss about how bad the working conditions are and such. So I though we were close. Well, these things happen. I take them in stride.
Just want readers to be aware and not be too hurt when it happens cos if you leave without a job, this has a very high chance of happening. Maybe it's because I don't have other plans yet. Maybe if I were to be more useful, like running my own business, people might flock to me again? I don't know.
But the good part of all these, is that I found out who my true friends are.
Cos out of the folks who ignored me, there are the 1 or 2 who bothered to come out to eat with me.
Talk about life and everything. Just simple chit chat. I don't ask for favour or anything.
And those chats are fun. It indicates to me that these folks truely come out for my company and I appreciate that. It's nice.
Nothing much for this post. It's a simple point.
I'll just leave readers with a story from the internet.
A young man was planning his wedding. The couple was swamped with preparations, so the groom had to ask his father for help.
"Dad, I have a favor to ask of you. I don't have the time to do this, so can you call all my friends and invite them to the wedding? Here is the list."
"Sure thing, son."
At the day of the wedding the indignant son approaches his father.
"Dad, I asked you to call all my friends!"
"That's what I did."
"There were 50 names on the list, but only 15 are here!"
"Sonny, I called everyone, every single one on that list. I told all 50 the same thing: that I was calling on your behalf, that you were going through a hard time and needed some help and support. Then I asked them to come to this place at this time. So don't you worry, son, all of your friends are right here with you."
- plagarized from somewhere on the internet