Jay Capelle, 60

Believe it or not, no matter how upsetting the loss of their job has been, many Americans are actually grateful for the extra time they have on their hand these days.

Jay Capelle did love his factory job of 32 years. At the same time, he’s grateful to have extra time on his hands these days to care for his ailing wife, stay in shape and work on a long-planned baseball documentary.

Others like Alex Swain, 36, of Leesburg, Va are taking to hobbies like playing music, painting and hiking just to keep themselves from losing their minds. Others are spending time in the classroom. Andre Lovato, 55, of Waukesha, Wis., who was laid off from his job at a signmaking company in 2006, earned a degree in printing and publishing from a technical college in December.

But it is still a bitter-sweet scenario and the sweetness is bound to wear off after some time. Two jobless friends in North Carolina who’ve played plenty of golf together say enough is enough and they’re ready again for the joy of earning a paycheck.  All these people interviewed would give up their newfound free time in a heartbeat if they could land jobs.

But as unemployment spells are going to drag on longer than anticipated, it is good that they have allowed themselves to enjoy activities not directly related to the job hunt without feeling guilty.

Via : AP