Ford Motor Company announced yesterday that they would cut between 25,000 and 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants across the country. The Ford plant here in the Norfolk area, maker of the F150, was thankfully spared. This time.
This morning Good Morning America spotlighted two families that are directly affected by the shutdown of these plants. These are families that have lost their jobs after many, many years with Ford. They were devastated and I could feel the hopelessness through the television. They tried to keep a stiff upper lip but how do you bounce back? Can you imagine working for a company for decades and then finding out that now you have to figure out how to feed your family? I have a feeling that once the initial shock subsides these people will pick themselves up and carry on. What choice do they have?
How do you prepare for something like that?
I’ll be honest … financial security has always been my number one priority. I always want to know that I will have enough money to do whatever I have to do. I don’t like asking anybody for anything. I want to be able to take care of me and mine. I want to be able to provide for my children and my children’s children. Fear of being broke was one of the reasons why I had to leave my second husband. We were not on the same page when it came to finances and I refused to allow him to take me into poverty with his foolish spending habits. He always thought that we could live on love … oh please!
We have got to start thinking about the future. The secure job that you think you have may not be so secure. If you lost your job tomorrow would you be able to make it? I remember in 1997 I walked out of a good paying job because I was pissed off. I gave no thought to the fact that I had a husband and two children that depended on that paycheck. I ended up taking a job that paid $6.75 an hour just to help put food on the table. My husband was very supportive and didn’t make me feel bad but inside I was dying. I was forced to do a crappy job that was beneath me because I had no other option. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a firm believer in doing whatever you have to do in order to survive. Hell, I’d sell my ass to make sure that my children have food … of course I don’t know who the hell would wanna buy it … but my point is that we shouldn’t ever be without options.
We’ve got to always have a Plan B. We don’t know what tomorrow has in store for us and we don’t want to be caught with our pants down around our ankles. Especially when we have others that are depending on us.
What is meant to be will be
