Being Fired But Seeing the Silver Lining

Chris lost his job on June 23rd. It was a bit of a shock to get a call from him and knowing something was wrong just from his voice. It was a relief that it was only a lost job and not something more important. Yet, jobs are still important so I was flooded with emotion. Mostly fear at first. Then sadness and a sense of loss. And a little bit of anger too.

That first night was a little rough. We went through the range of emotions together. We talked about the good and the bad. We even cried a bit. I think it's all a part of the process.

Chris was working at a very small company - only 4 people. They do high end home automation, home theaters, lighting, audio, etc. Chris is a system designer and a salesperson, but they really need someone in business development. They needed someone who would bring customers in the door. Chris is honest about hating cold calling. I totally understand because I hate it too.

With things like this, you always try to look on the bright side. To my surprise, Chris was able to start looking on the bright side almost immediately. I'm pretty sure I would have wallowed in sadness a lot longer had it been me. He started looking at this as an opportunity to change careers, to go back to school, to think about what he really, really wants to do. We know that something big like this had to happen to get us thinking like this. So while it's a hard pill to swallow, ultimately, I'm thankful for the opportunity.

And I hope that it is a positive situation for the company as well. I really, really liked the owner and Chris's coworkers. I want them to do well.

We're adjusting our lifestyle to fit within my salary. This is something we wanted to do anyway, with the intention of saving all of his income. Now we're just doing it a bit sooner than we had planned. This change is stressing me quite a bit. Chris is seeing how neurotic about money I can be. I'm seeing what a solid rock he is. Together, we're weathering the storm.

Chris, who is always better about seeing the silver lining than I am, is taking this opportunity to the right thing for himself So he's going back to school! He's decided to finish his undergraduate degree and has already enrolled in Fall classes. He'll be going to school full time in just a few short weeks. I'm really excited and proud.

For the next few weeks he gets to do what he wants. I don't understand how he's not sleeping until noon every day, but I'm not complaining about the fact he gets up to have breakfast with me. I like having our time to chat in the morning. He's taking the time to complete a bunch of little projects around the house, which is awesome. AND he's making dinner every night. I REALLY love that part!!

So in a few short weeks, we'll be entering a new phase in life. Chris gets to be a student again and I get to be his sugar-mama!

Comments