8/8/2008: The first day of the REST of my life
This post is definitely THE most important post I’ve written to date.
I have been a Computer Programmer with my current employer for over 10 years now. On Thursday, August 7th, 2008 I return to the office after taking some vacation time the first 3 days of the week. I am called into a conference room by our Director and she tells me that I am LAID OFF. “My job function is no longer needed.” That I can “leave immediately or I can take some time and say Goodbye to people”! Say goodbye to people? Wow.
Let me say that when the Director called me at my desk, the first sound I heard on the phone was her voice… LAUGHING. Yes, laughing! She is calling an employee to lay them off and she can’t refrain from LAUGHING as she’s dialing the phone? Priceless. She then said “Hi, its D. Can you join me in conference room #453?” It was at that moment I KNEW. D did not call me into her meetings for any reason, ever. So I knew. I went in, sat down, D (and a rep from HR) gave me whatever little speech they had conjured up and it was over in about 2 minutes.
So I go back to my desk and decide to forward some of my personal emails to my home email address before I go. As I do, I tell the 2 women that I’ve sat next to for nearly 10 years that D just laid me off. They were both in shock. Their eyes got all big and sympathetic and their brows furrowed. “WHAT are you going to doooOOOooo?!!?” One of them says to me.
I said, “I’m going to the BEACH!”
And there ya have it. I’ve been LAID OFF! Possibly THE best news I have received, maybe… EVER! I am absolutely elated. I cannot believe that I have this remarkable opportunity to completely and wholeheartedly reinvent my life to take on ANY form I can imagine it to be. I’ve gotta admit it: I nearly shook D’s hand, smiled and said “Thanks!” after she laid me off. While still sitting in that conference room, my mind was racing with “what WILL I do next?… What wonderous things can I dream up to do?” Its truly like a dream come true. (And the fact that my severance package continues for 3 months doesn’t hurt either.)
I began my career as a computer programmer back on May 28, 1991. (And before you think I’m THAT much of a geek, I’d like to clarify that the only reason I remember the date so vividly is because May 28th is also my father’s birthday.) I have never been married and thanks to my programmers salary over the years I have been lucky enough to own several houses (three so far), a 1967 Ford Mustang, a dirtbike or two, a few pickup trucks and I’m now on my fourth Jeep Wrangler. So financially I cannot complain. Programming has been very good to me in that sense.
Of late however, I have found that 17 years of programming may very well be my limit for this lifetime. I absolutely still enjoy the mental challenge of programming but in the past 5 years I incorporated a man and his daughter into my life and in June of 2008 I officially adopted that daughter. Three years ago I decided to open a giftshop in addition to my programming job. Being the workhorse that I am (I do truly love working), I ended up creating a life for myself that included very little else aside from working. For three years I had been working at least 100+ hours per week and I had 3 DAYS off per year: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. So about a month ago, I made the decision to close the giftshop so I’d have a bit more time on my hands.
In the 6-8 weeks leading up to August 8th, 2008 (8-8-08) “The Voice” (as I like to call the little voice in my head) was saying to me that I should DO something on 8-8-08. I mentioned that to the “Njoy man” and he said “What, like have a party?” I said, “Nooo. Not like have a party. The Voice is telling me I need to do something that day that is out of the ordinary for me. That it will be a very important day.”
So about 1 week before 8-8-08, I get an email from a friend that she’s teaching a class about harnessing the Lion Goddess energy to bring about change. And guess when the class is? You got it! 8-8-08… at 8pm even! So I said “Ok! I guess THATS what I’m supposed to do that night!” And I signed up. I had to make babysitter arrangements and I had to get someone to cover the store and then I signed up. I figured it was a good time to learn how to re-focus my energies since the store would be closing soon.
Then Thursday, August 7th came. I went into the office, and I was laid off. During the layoff meeting the Director says to me “Although we are laying you off today and letting you go home today, and we certainly don’t expect you to come into the office anymore, but your Official date of layoff will show in our files as tomorrow: 8-8-08″.
How freakin amazing is that?
So 8-8-08 is indeed a date I will remember forever. I am now perfectly free to plan all the details my new life. Emerging from the cocoon. No giftshop. No more on-call. No more office. No more full-time job.
No limits.
Amazing.
Shine on, everyone. Shine on.
