One year later

It was a year ago tomorrow that my life turned upside down. For the first, and I hope and expect only, time in my life I was fired from my job. No severance, no explanation, nothing. 17 years with the company, and having gotten the biggest raise EVER from them the year before and I was out.

The timing was good in that very night was the quarterly meeting of former employees to drink and network. And drink.

It probably shouldn't have surprised me, but in so many ways that job was like my first marriage. And I reacted to it in much the same way. It took me two months to get a new job - four hours from home in Detroit - good pay but as a contractor NO benefits. The one month contract lasted for almost 12 weeks, including one weekend they called me back for. I got my current job only a week after that ended - starting 5 months to the day after being fired.

When I talked with people about it, I remember saying it would be a rough journey, but that things would be better on the other side. I can definitely say that was true.

In almost every way this job is better than where I was. I do have less vacation and have to accrue it now, and only get paid once a month, but those are very minor. The gross pay is slightly less, but takehome is more, benefits are better (if a little confusing), and no on-call!

Most important is the respect and appreciation here. Being treated like a valuable, contributing part of the company, not being micro-managed at0all, and real tangible signs that I am doing well and am appreciated. Not having the feeling of being watched constantly.

I am hoping that the one year mark will allow for me to finally move past this emotionally and put that behind me where it belongs. I want my ex-employer to be like my ex-wife - not worth the energy to ever think or care about.

I guess I do need to thank both of them - by getting rid of me, you enabled me to get out of a toxic, abusive relationship into a good, fulfilling and much, much better one.
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