So I started this blog less than a month ago. In my inaugural post, I stated how nice it was not to begin things with a motive, to start with an uneventful clean slate. I even quipped that I was content, and happy to say so in spite of any Faust-like fate that might befall me for such an acknowledgement. Man was that a foolish thing to do … sort of.

Coincidence is what you call it when it happens to other people. As the protagonist in your own life’s story, it takes any other name. Within three weeks of claiming that I was in a season of life where I was content and complacent, where the ship was steady and waters uneventful, I was let go from my job. Coincidence? It seemed more to me a cosmic joke. And though the humor was self-deprecating, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself a bit.

In the moment, somehow I maintained my poise. It was an unnatural response, and I felt a little out of body as I told the person sending me packing that this wasn’t a bad thing, but an opportunity. I could have felt anger, I could have bargained, but for some reason I was immune to any broad sweeping emotions. Driving in my car afterwards, I thought to myself, should I cry? I could tell that my immediate manager would have let rip the waterworks if I had shown any weakness in the moment. In the aftermath though, the only saddening aspect is the separation from the good friends I made while working there.

There was some ego depletion as you can’t help but take it personal on some level. Having spent a lot of time as my own boss when running my company, I have developed the skill of knowing what my time is worth. I calculated that on the conservative side I was making my employer at least $1.50 for every dollar they were spending on me before any intangible or intrinsic value was added. Beyond that, this was also the first employer of my post-graduate life that I stayed with for at least a year. It was a little ironic that the first company I felt compelled to show loyalty, didn’t reciprocate. At the end of the day, it’s a business. A million different things factor into hard decisions like these, so I get it. Hard decisions bring nobody great joy, and the hit to my personal pride was a smaller issue on my mind than some of the other nagging pangs.

I mentioned before that I recently became a homeowner; so some thought went to the fact that the bills weren’t going to stop just because my paychecks did. Yet, again, I was somehow less fazed than I would have imagined myself to be. Rather than succumb to the crushing uncertainty, I just hit the road running. Within 100 minutes of being told I was being let go, I already had an interview. Within a week, I had already progressed through second round interviews with two different companies. I think without some grace under pressure, I would still be in a tumultuous state of affairs. Instead, within eleven days of being let go at Infomedia, I have now accepted a job offer with Luckie.

Luckie has been on my radar since I was programming in Flash, so I’ve wanted to work there for a LONG time. I believe their website was actually built in Flash the first time I applied there circa 2009. A lot has changed since then, for both of us, thankfully. Who knows where this path will lead me? I’m excited to find out. I start next Tuesday. Wish me … luck.

The path trails off
And heads down a mountain
Through the dry bush, I don’t know where it leads

— Radiohead, Glass Eyes, A Moon Shaped Pool