Tuesday, June 16, 2009

As fate will have it

Sometimes in life, we reach a turning point.

It's a point in time when there are so many possibilities. So much opportunity. Twisting, winding paths. I'm there. At a turning point.

I was laid off from my super corporate basement cubicle job at a giant company last week. I was ELATED. As the vice president of my department was breaking the news to me in her office with the human resources guy there to explain the process and the severance package, I was stifling the urge to do cartwheels.

They were both shocked when I thanked them for this. This wonderful vacation. They're paying me 6 full months of salary plus a bonus just to get me out of their hair.

My department was dissolving because funding had been cut to a minimum for the project we were working on. All over the company, they are laying folks off and cutting costs. Everything had been moving at a snail's pace and I wanted out of there with a fiery passion. I got what I wanted and it was everything I could do not to squeal with delight when I started to pack up my office and wheel the boxes out.

Freedom. Sweet, delicious time.

But now. Now I have some decisions to make. What the hell am I going to do? I'm not worried about finding work. I have a usable skill set and a stable employment record. My resume looks good and I'll work on it to make it even better.

The decisions about which job to take aren't on the top of my mind. They are about where to go from here.

Vacation. What to do, what to do...

15 comments:

Logical Libby said...

Kind of jealous. Actually, really jealous.

MJenks said...

When I got laid off from my first job, I was bummed for a couple of minutes--and, to be honest, I was bummed only because I worked with a lot of good looking women with very large breasts.

After it sank in that I could get away from my megalomaniacal supervisor, my douchebag director, and get the hell out of a company that was slowly sinking in the middle of the cocksoup river, I nearly clicked my heels.

MJenks said...

Oh, and like you said, they paid me not to show up to work anymore. How effing great is that?

Anonymous said...

There's a lot of this going around at the minute.

It's like than swine flu: everybody thinks they're going to die, but then they find out it's really just some time off work.

Except with the bonus - in the case of being downsized - that you never have to go back to that particular work ever again.

And how could that be a bad thing?

Diva's Thoughts said...

Wow!!!! The freedom must be intoxicating!!! Take a month or so off and enjoy the down time. Then start looking for work. It will take you longer then you think to find work because the economy is still so terrible but enjoy some downtime girl!!!

TC said...

I think that anyone who got a six-month severance package combined with a bonus would be happy to be laid off :)

Mike said...

Hey it's the summer of Tabbie.

Rassles said...

Vegas.

When in doubt, always go to Vegas.

Bob Dobalina said...

Dance, blog, travel.. do it all, why the hell not?

Scotty said...

I wonder how long it would take for me to get hired and then laid off there..

Anonymous said...

Take your time and enjoy it. Plenty of time to join the rat race.

The Ambiguous Blob said...

I picked a vacation spot! It's verrry far away from California and I leave next Thursday.
Will post about that soon. Until then, I have laundry calling my name, then sleep & I'm off to party in Northern California for the weekend.

Cosmo said...

Lucky girl! Have a great Vacation. And you happen to arrive in Florida, let me know.

Philly said...

Can't wait to hear about your adventures. Have fun on Vaca !!

#1

Le Meems said...

Come up here, open art gallery, grant write, pick up a few corporate accounts to freelance with, dance and sing, wear sparkles, bring regis, laugh and dream.

Inspired by people who think big, get stuff done and are hilariously entertaining thru it all.