For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.”
~ Langston Hughes
Our About the Authors Series continues with Ginger Murphy.
I have always been fascinated by
the way we find and make meaning in our lives, especially when the inevitable
tragedies remind us how little control we really have over what happens to us.
Our choice comes in our response to this reality. My story in Slants of Light, “Live Your Dream!”
is about losing a job and with it all the hopes and dreams nurtured over many
years of hard work. It’s also a tribute to the people who stand by us in our
times of loss.
Women sustain each other with
friendships that endure great distances, long years of no contact and the fact
that we too often put others first – children, spouses, bosses, clients –
anyone who needs anything we feel we can give. And when we’ve taken care of
everyone else and we’re finally ready to put our feet up, our friends are there
to talk but mostly to listen.
Carla and Serena, two friends
featured in my story, have been together since college when they boldly
imagined how they would make the world better by coaching and teaching kids.
They felt confident and optimistic then. Now many years later, they are
confronting the compromises demanded by making a living and the fallout of the
Great Recession. Carla has been laid off in this economic aftermath and she is
heart-broken.
While fictional, the genesis of
this story comes directly from my own experience. I lost my job three years ago
and with it my confidence, idealism and any kind of clarity about what my
future could still hold. I was in shock for weeks. And I was very, very angry.
I had done everything right. But stellar performance reviews, leadership
positions and secured funding for my beloved program simply didn’t matter in
the end.
To add insult to injury, when I
started to apply for new jobs I experienced a bias against “mature” workers.
Hard-earned years of experience now seemed like a liability instead of an
asset. I hadn’t thought so much about my age since the days of being “carded”
when I went out to bars as a college student! I found myself dispensing with my
chronological resume and consulting my stylist about hair color.
Ultimately, I spent a lot of time
in my garden – it was early spring when I was let go . . . pulling and digging and
clinging to fragile strength gradually re-emerging along with the tender green
shoots of those hardy spring bulbs. I took reassurance in this graphic reminder
that life does go on.
As it turned out, I would meet new friends through the
Women’s Writing Circle during this time. I would also rediscover an old friend
in writing itself; it would become a sanctuary to reflect, explore, share and
begin to find meaning again amid life’s bewildering events.
My character Serena is really a
composite of all my friends who listened, encouraged, coached, laughed and
cried with me during this time. Eventually I realized that while my lost job
was a sad statistic, I didn’t have to become one too. I was still an
intelligent and capable person who could again find meaning, a job and maybe
even a new dream.
Ginger M.
Murphy is a citizen advocacy coordinator, community organizer and true
believer in the promise and power of civic engagement. She has worked as an
English teacher, tutor and grant writer. She completed her undergraduate work in
English at Wesleyan University and holds a Masters degree in Education from the
University of Pennsylvania. “I like to explore how our voices begin to emerge as
we dare to tell our own unique stories. I write to discover the deeper layers of
my experience; to sift, sort and discover a reflection that holds personal and
universal experiences all at once.” An avid hiker
and photographer, she lives in Phoenixville, PA with her three wise feline
housemates..
