A great NY Times article about one guy’s inventive idea for a way to stay sane after getting layed off - Recession Soccer.

Story from NYTimes

“In October, Mr. Sacs, 33, was laid off from his job in transportation engineering. Looking around Hoboken, he realized he was hardly the only one out of work, and began thinking of ways for people to connect. His solution was the soccer game, part therapy, part exercise, part networking.

He posted a message on Craigslist, e-mailed some friends and waited to see who would show up.

“I knew there had to be other people who needed to take a break from looking at Monster.com and sending out résumés,” he said.

The first week, in the dead of winter, brought out four people. It grew to six, then more, and he figures the spring weather and the continuingly sluggish job market will bring out more still. “I’m hoping we’re growing because of better weather and the word getting out, not because many more people are being laid off,” he said.

And there are lessons in hard times than can be learned just by hanging out. Everyone at the park, it seems, has a story about the job market. Denis Danatzko, who is working on a documentary about the soccer game, was laid off long ago from his financial services job and is trying to build a videography business.

“I enjoy it,” he said. “My wife thinks it’s crazy.”

Leo Pellegrini, who runs the youth travel soccer program in Hoboken, said people were worried about layoffs expected at his firm, which he declined to name.

It’s the season of rebirth — religious, personal, meteorological. It’s no longer winter, but not quite spring. Maybe, as President Obama said, there’s a glimmer of hope in the economy, and maybe it’s just a few errant embers in a cold wind. No one knows where we go from here, but on Good Friday at Frank Sinatra Park, they came out to kick a ball, enjoy the view and hope spring brings better things.”

Image via NYT