So, you were laid off. Let Go. Released. Downsized. Cut loose. Anyway you say it, it means the same thing. You are out of a job. And, you join the millions across America who are unemployed as well.

Maybe you were given some notice, a nice farewell party and a generous severance package. Maybe, you were surprised on a Friday with a pink slip and an empty box (or a paper bag) to pack up your things. Or, perhaps you just discovered that your key no longer worked in your office door lock.

Now what??!!

Well, of course, you look for another job. You get your resume together, you dust off your interview suit, you join all the Social Networking sites and you start surfing Monster, Careerbuilder and wheresmynextjob.com with the intention of finding a new job FAST!

But, what happens when you don’t get hired the week after you just got fired???

What do you do with all this new-found time?

Well, while you're searching for your next job, here's some ideas, reminders, random thoughts etc. from someone who's discovering there is life after her layoff.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Take A Hike! (I know...predictable title, but I had to use it)

I've never been much of a hiker. In fact, I haven't embraced nature in quite some time - mainly because I never had the desire to do so. However, the other day I thought I would practice what I've been preaching and try something new. So, after spending the morning searching wheresmynextjob.com for any new job postings and then checking my voice mail to discover no messages, I decided to take a hike!

Turns out, I really didn't have to travel far from my front door to become "one with nature". Fifteen minutes away from here up off Mulholland Drive is Coldwater Canyon Park, made up of a bunch of fire road trails and the home of TreePeople, an environmental non-profit that maintains and operates the park.


Founded in 1973 by teenagers, TreePeople is dedicated to helping nature heal our cities. So far, they've planted more than two million trees, and each year the organization educates thousands of kids about environmental responsibility. I really like that.

The trails up there are wide enough and not too steep at all - perfect for a novice hiker like myself. You know, it's easy to temporarily forget your troubles when you're huffin' and puffin' up one of those trails. Ah, nature...who knew?



Check out these pictures. This is what it actually looks like up there!




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3 comments:

  1. DUTAJuly 17, 2009 at 7:08 AM

    Lovely pictures! Mother Nature helps healing it all: personal as well as public ailments.

    ReplyDelete
  2. BionicDaveJuly 19, 2009 at 1:19 AM

    Yes, hiking is a wonderful way to blow off stress and get a nice lil workout, too. And - if you're in L.A. - and you hit up the trendier trails like Runyon Canyon - you just might see celebs pass you by, too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 19, 2009 at 10:36 PM

    Looks like a really beautiful place to go hiking. I am going to look in my city for a cool place to hike.

    ReplyDelete

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