Unemployed in Buffalo, N.Y.

Buffalo has never been a hub of economic growth in recent times, but the addition of a national recession has finally had a profound impact on me. For the first time in my life, I'm unemployed and collecting unemployment benefits. The good news is that it does provide enough to survive on. A bonus side effect of the dismal economics of Buffalo is that the cost of living is relatively low but the cost of utilities high enough to level the playing field.

The sudden, involuntary lack of a job has triggered my tendency to become cynical about this area. After all, of my friends, all but one are now living on unemployment or have left the area en mass. The lunches at restaurants, movies and occasional shopping excursions have been replaced by gatherings at homes, cooking for each other, and watching television or movies on DVD. I have become acutely aware of the money coming in and going out and if I deem something a financial burden and luxury, it's generally canceled. At this point, it's a survival instinct and the basic needs must be met, until I find work.

Friends often ask me how the job search is going. I tell them honestly that I look every day, but prospects here in Buffalo are grim. The sad fact is that the vast majority of jobs that are available in my field right now actually pay far less than I'm receiving in unemployment. Benefits? Well, thankfully COBRA has been decreased to a reasonable amount, a mere 35 percent of the usual cost. I'm grateful I don't have to weigh the cost of health benefits vs. the cost of food or heat. Not yet anyway.

There are two sides to every coin and being unemployed in Buffalo right now isn't the worst situation in the world. I can't remember the last time I had to fill my car with gas and I no longer have to pay to get dress clothes dry cleaned. I'm home far more than ever and get to spend time with my pets and I have time to cook meals for myself, rather than rely on frozen meals. I have time to put my photographic body of work in order and post the pictures I'd taken for years, but never had time to share. If a friend needs me, I'm there and don't have to pencil people in. I don't use an alarm clock and allow myself to sleep when tired and get up when awake, which is nearly always 8:00. Amazing that at the age of 43, I now know my body's individual sleep cycle.

Also amazing is that I have time to talk to people, which is what I had been educated and paid to do with strangers. The quality of my friendships is far better because I have the time to nurture them properly. My house has never been cleaner or more organized and perhaps most importantly, I now have time to attend to myself, appreciate what is important and look forward to any future I choose.