I've thought about this post for a while. I wasn't sure how to word all this, but really it's simple, especially now that I've had some time to think about it, to get over any anger and frustration I had and realize the opportunity in front of me.
I got laid off last Tuesday, January 13th.
I worked at this particular company for over 6 years and did my job pretty well, so I was told. Many others did as well. And in one day, 31 of us were told we were no longer needed. Just like that. Here's a severance and some insurance for a couple months. Good luck.
I went through a variety of emotions in the hours and days that followed. At first, you find yourself a bit stunned, but more just in awe of the task in front of you. How to survive. How to take care of your family. The basics.
The next day, you focus on you. You get a little pissed. A little irked. Why me? Why do I have to go through this? You think about the people who remain and hope they are well. But you also wonder how some of them are still there.
What was the differentiating factor? Salary? Talent? Ass-kissing? You re-think everything you ever did at work and second-guess all the time, all in search for that answer that will allow you to sleep again.
And then you realize that it doesn't matter why you were let go. That what's done is done. That your path and your fortune lie elsewhere. That you move forward and onward to the next milepost in your life.
Getting to that next milepost isn't easy...especially in these times. But hopefully, today's events in Washington will make that easier. I'm hopeful for that. I'm hopeful I'll find something that will help me take care of my family.
I'm hopeful that each day brings something better, and that's something worth hoping for.
5 comments:
Every setback is a setup for a comeback.
It's tough in the first few days to realize it, but you'll see you're better off finding a company you can trust. I promise.
Hang in there, my friend ...
I was waiting to see what you would post on this, and I knew you wouldn't let me down.
I've been out of work before, and as bleak as some of those times looked, I've always stumbled into something else, usually something better.
When I got fired from Trone I was 43, my portfolio was 5 years stale, and no one was interested in hiring a depressed, alcoholic, washed-up writer.
That's when I wrote Panamanian Moon.
But before I set my ass in that chair, I sat in our bedroom for three days wondering just what the fuck I was going to do. Being remarkably unskilled in anything practical, I was near desperate.
Then our dog died. What a great year.
But enough about me.
You work hard. You're good. You show up sober. You'll find something else.
As for the asylum, you're not missing anything but a paycheck and the enjoyment you got by flipping off an old man on a daily basis.
Lunch next week. Promise?
Thanks, fellas. Appreciate the support. Lunch next week sounds good. Scott, can you meet up for lunch as well and help me flip off an old man?
Hey sorry to hear about the shitty news. I've been laid off more than once, so I know what you're going through, believe me. It's tough but it'll get better.
And yes, some of the people who get to stay on are soul-less ass-kissers. But don't worry about them; someday their bad karma will catch up to them.
Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you cuz...
Yeah, I might be able to swing lunch next week. And I'll always make time to flip off an old man.
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