It's My Anniversary!

It’s not a typical one that people generally brag about, but I’m going to today.

Seven years ago this month I was fired from my job at the pediatric office where I dutifully went for 17 years. I know I’ve referred to this experience multiple times in my blog posts...please allow me to do it just one more time 😊.

For months, I kept asking myself – and still do at times – WTF ?!?!?

A couple of years before that, unfortunately, the local newspaper for which I had been a freelancer for 15 years was gobbled up by a much larger one, thereby ending my association with them. Missing the writing, however, did get me to launch my own personal blog in 2014, that you guys are still kind enough to read when I’m motivated enough to write.

When I was sent home that morning back in April 2016, I was panic-stricken and so very sad. Even though I no longer liked the job at that time, I was comfortable with my routine there, had some wonderful co-workers/friends and felt good about helping the parents of the little ones.     

I was worried, albeit realistic: at 56, how likely would it be that I could slide into a similar situation?

With no commitments for the first couple of months of my being at home during the day other than to participate in a training program as required to get unemployment benefits, I began to realize that my efforts might be misdirected: instead of looking to replace the kind of job I had, perhaps this could be a time to explore other possibilities.   

One day as I was online looking at volunteer opportunities as a grant writer, I saw that some guy on Facebook Messenger tried to contact me. He asked if I’d want to freelance for his Pine Barrens community newspaper start-up.

I called him back not knowing if it was SPAM and my first thought was Yikes! He has a very young voice. But you know the power of youth...he was so revved up about his new venture...I couldn’t resist...I went to his office the next day. He was indeed young – even younger than 2 of my kids – but after he told me I could focus on feature writing and not have to take on a school district or municipal beat too, I was all in.

I stayed in this position for several years and am thrilled for how it enriched my life. It opened my eyes to the wonderful people of the Pine Barrens communities. Many interviews and time spent with my subjects were so meaningful at the time and remain in my thoughts today.

For example, I love my nighttime shower routine with fabulous smelling goat soap (“The Grazing Goat”), thanks to the woman I highlighted in my feature story who has created an enormous line of goat soap products. 

Based on another woman I interviewed, I am equipped with the knowledge that if a VIP in my life gets sick, I am going to contact the “Hug Wraps” creator, a cancer survivor herself, for a custom-made item that will feel like a big, warm hug. 

I could go on and on.

Since this freelance gig still left me with lots of time, I also took a second position to write and edit for a startup women’s health website and app. I had the pleasure of spending time and brainstorming with one of the co-founders and worked closely with my special friend Beth who so tragically passed away from ALS about 18 months ago.

I also had the opportunity to work with my dear friend Susan, a CPA, who brought me in to her office to help out during tax season, where I stayed for over a year, until the pandemic started.  

I am much obliged to those who invited me in, who were open to giving me a place with them at a time when I was desperately trying to find my way.

One day I’ll have to tell my grandbabies how thankful I am for them for so many reasons, a very important one being that their births caused a welcome rebirth in me.

The first two grandchildren provided me with a weekly babysitting responsibility; during the pandemic I got to travel to Florida 3 times with my daughter’s mother-in-law to visit our kids and granddaughter, and in-between these trips I was able to spend concentrated time with the youngest of the grandchildren. None of this would have been possible had I still worked at the doctors’ office.

Often in life stuff happens to us which we have no control over; in this case, it was my termination. While I should have taken matters into my own hands, I didn’t, and instead my life took a different course...and played out so much better than I could have imagined.

Getting fired truly was addition by subtraction, and for that I am grateful.