Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

Republicans are a lot like Englishmen: They’re buttoned up in the boardroom but kinky in the bedroom.

Democrats, from my experience, are kinky all over, and Libertarians are just plain paranoid.

This is a sampling of the kind of men I’ve dated on the political spectrum. Some for the long term and some not lasting beyond a first date.

I’ve also had a sampling of jobs throughout my career, many of which have been long-stay commitments while others for only a few weeks.

Taking in these perspectives and as an experienced unemployed person, I have come to ask myself, “Do I like men à la carte as I’m beginning to like temp gigs? or am I seeking a full-time job like I’m seeking a full-time man?”

Hmmm, I’ve never thought of it before in those terms.

But now that I have, let me expound emotionally on what it means to be free versus tethered to a job and a man. First, if you’re in a long-term committed relationship that you’re wild about, you shouldn’t feel tethered. You should still feel free, unencumbered, yet anchored. If the person you’re with can’t add to your life, then he shouldn’t be in your life. I think that holds true for a job, too. You don’t want to work at an establishment that sucks the life out of you.

While that’s textbook psychotherapy advice, it’s not practical during these tough times. Sometimes, you feel trapped. As much as you believe you should leave your job, you can’t up and quit, and jeopardize your financial security.

As in life, timing is everything mixed in with luck and opportunity.

The thrill about short-term men is that you’re in a perpetual state of feeling alive again. Is that, however, a feeling that reality would support. Most people, I believe, would say, no. I’m not most people, and I think if you’ve truly found your match then you can keep your relationship fun, fresh, and fulfilling.

That feel-good state holds true for many short-term freelance assignments. But when it’s time to say goodbye to a temporary assignment, it should be easier to disengage than if you’re saying goodbye to a short-term lover, especially if you’re beginning to fall in love.