Jim Varagona

I blogged regularly for about 3 years on the DiabetoBlog. The archives can still be seen here http://www.diabetoboy.com/diabetoblog.html

I slowed and eventually stopped around the time my son and first child, Dylan Matthew (named for Bob Dylan and my late brother Matt), was born a little over a year ago.  Work was bogging me down as well as settling into a new house, our first.

Days before my son turned 1, I was laid off from my job as a retail manager, which is a story in and of itself, but more on that later. Now I contemplate: What to do? Where do I go from here? How can I provide for my family?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Media Communications, which has proven to be worthless for me. Since graduating and getting married several years ago, I have been in the retail trap. Once you have the skills and experience, those jobs are always there. The experience of dealing with all types of people is always entertaining for me. I enjoy helping people, even if it is finding what ink they need for their printer or explaining the differences of latex and lambskin condoms to a person much older than me (true story).

Given this economy we are in, who knows where I will end up? I’m enjoying spending time with my son and wife. I was seeing less and less of them with my previous job, so in a way, this is a great reset for me. This is a time to unwind from the stress of a bad situation, get to know my family again, and get to know myself for that matter.