From Full Speed Ahead to Killing Time
They told me I was an exemplary employee but they didn’t have the budget for my position. I was so shocked that I couldn’t get out of my chair. I just sat there in stunned silence. Then I had to watch my co-workers avoid my eyes for a month. I took a lot of sick leave and felt completely hopeless. My heart was dark and my feelings were insoluble. Or something.
Luckily I had wonderfully sympathetic friends. One of them told me this was the best thing that could happen to me. I didn’t believe him at the time, but he was right. I pulled myself together and filed suit. In court, their attorney said it was all just a misunderstanding, that they’d never let someone of my caliber go. More stunned silence from me and unfortunately from my attorney. The judge sent me back to the completely dead-end position they’d suddenly found for me.
On the day of my court case, I stopped by the City of Austin’s personnel office before going back to the Agency. I signed on for a contract position with the Energy Department, where I’d been recruited to run the new outreach portion of their line-clearing program. I had learned a lot about trees and had established my reputation in community outreach. So on Mondays I went to Austin Energy, where creative, energetic people welcomed me with open arms. I bought a computer so I could work from home and bill more hours.
Tuesdays through Fridays I worked at the state agency, for me the land of the living dead. My friends treated me to long lunches several times a week. I took 20-minute walks and climbed the five sets of stairs whenever I felt the urge, which was often. I had a tempestuous affair with a co-worker and nurtured a serious crush on another. I played a lot of free cell and continued to mentor a little girl named Amber, whom I’d met when she was in first grade. I’d set up the mentoring program back in the good old days. Now she was a third grader and we were great buds. Somehow the interminable 10-hour days passed.
After nine months of working both jobs, I ended what I called my gestation period and went to work full-time for the City. The position was still contractual, but they asked me to write my five-year plan so I wasn’t worried. Two weeks later they told me the job would be ending the next month because of budget cuts. To paraphrase a student: Life is like changing a diaper. There is always a surprise around the corner.
I didn’t have the energy to freak out again. In fact, I found the whole situation pretty funny: for a high caliber employee, I was certainly expendable. I discovered I could file for unemployment, and I’d saved the money I made at the City along with savings bonds, so my finances weren’t bad. That helped a lot.
Years before, a friend had told me about getting fired and taking a long road trip to recuperate. At the time, I’d marveled at her daredevil attitude. Suddenly it made complete sense. I registered a business name, Reach Out, with the Secretary of State. Then I packed up the Schnoodles and hit the road.
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