Laurie's story: The elephant in the room

What do you say to a friend whose family faces sudden financial difficulty?

Laurie Reid is 45 years old, a wife and mother of two. She's lived two decades in Charlotte - a comfortable, but not lavish, life. One day late last year, her husband came home with news he'd lost his job. Now, with thoughtful candor, she faces the fear that comes with loss of her household's only income.

We'll be bringing you her story and others from around Charlotte. They are voices that speak to the different challenges that you'll find throughout our city. We want to hear your stories of struggles and successes, too.

On the elephant in the room, Laurie says:

Not everybody who learns that we are the latest victims of the economic downturn is comfortable talking about it, much less acknowledging it. Instead, they do an awkward dance in an attempt to avoid the topic. They concern themselves with relatively small and irrelevant matters instead of addressing the big looming one at hand...the lay off. And in the process, it becomes much bigger and more cumbersome than it actually is.

So I'm doing a public service announcement: do not be afraid to talk about the layoff. Repeat after me: “I am sorry to hear about the job, good luck finding a new one.” Done. You don't have to say anything more than that one simple sentence. We do not expect you to fix the situation, but it would make things easier for all parties if you would simply acknowledged it. We promise not to drag you into an ugly "life sucks" conversation. Getting laid off is certainly not the worst thing that has ever happened to us and if you give us a chance, you will see that we are in pretty good spirits. It is also probably worth mentioning that being laid off is not contagious. Therefore, expressing your condolences does not make you more susceptible to coming down with unemployment. End of public service announcement.

I will add that most of our friends and neighbors have gone above and beyond the call of duty. The day after my husband lost his job a friend showed up at our door with homemade chicken soup. It warmed our hearts and warmed our tummies. That same day my sister (who does not cook) whipped up a batch of delicious muffins and delivered them fresh from her oven to our door. We had one neighbor drop by with the makings of a top shelf martini with a note that read, “We are all in this together.” We've received cards, calls and e-mails, suffice it to say, we are feeling the love.

My husband, who has a tendency to see the glass half full, is looking at this layoff as a wonderful opportunity to find his dream job. He feels as if he’s been given a new lease on life and has embraced it like a gift. I will not go so far as to call this an opportunity, because quite frankly I liked the opportunity that came with him being employed, but I will take this time to scrutinize my current lifestyle. Aside from looking for a job of my own, I am looking for ways to downscale and regroup. Nothing like a fresh cup of perspective to realize that I took a lot for granted when we had a weekly paycheck. We're not down and out (yet) so I am going to try to break some of my nasty habits while I am still in the mood to count my blessings.

We don't need to buy any new toys; we have our health and we have each other. We don't need to eat out; we are happiest at home around our kitchen table with family and friends. We don't need to go to the movies to see the latest comedy; we do enough laughing on our own. In fact, I can't seem to walk into the house without shouting up the stairs, "Hey honey, I'm home...any job offers?" And each time I do, I get a chuckle out of my husband. I tell him that he's lucky that I'm so funny, but the truth of the matter is, I'm lucky that he's such a great guy and an easy audience.

Sure, there might come a day when he throws a shoe down the stairs or throws me down the stairs, but until that happens, we're going to continue to talk about it and laugh about it and, yes, even cry about it. But please, don't be afraid to join us...we won’t bite.