Starting the new reality

First off, I want to give a huge, warm and grateful virtual hug to everyone who has written, called, emailed, texted and been so very supportive in the past week. This transition to whatever is coming next has already taught me some valuable lessons, including how very blessed I am to have family, friends and former coworkers who care so much. Thank you thank you thank you. By the way, please don’t stop reaching out. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and nobody can finish a long race without support.

Secondly, to answer the most often asked question, I’m really ok. Yes, it sucks to lose your job, but it’s happened to me before, it’ll likely happen again, and as much as it feels like a punch to the solar plexus, I know it’s not the end of the world. I’m already hard at work figuring out what’s next and how to get there. Networking, resume revisions, networking, planning, networking, strategizing, networking and a little more networking. Last night, I was given a phenomenal gift for which I’m not sure I have adequate words. I met more than two dozen friends from my now-former office in Waltham for drinks, appetizers and a lot of laughs. I received a card and a very generous gift, but the real present was sitting with my buddies one last time as a group. The way I had always characterized the company (back when it was something other than what’s it’s become more recently) was a “Three Musketeers” organization: all for one and one for all. For all kinds of reasons that aren’t relevant here, it isn’t that anymore. This group represented what made me so very proud to be there. I was part of a phenomenal team, not just of smart, dedicated and talented people (though they were all of that, to be sure). I enjoyed being with everyone. Difficult meetings, lunch, dinner, travel, client work, it was all better because of who I worked with. Of course I’ll miss my clients and the work, but it’s the coworkers that mattered most. Last night was a bittersweet reminder, but one that I’ll treasure always.

So I’ve got a new, improved resume (want to see it? Let me know and I’ll send it to you), a revised linkedin.com profile, replete with a growing garden of recommendations http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsgreene29 , and I’m in the market for a new laptop, since although I am very much enjoying my third floor office at home, I fully expect to continue to be a road warrior in the next incarnation, and the laptop I had been using didn’t belong to me, so it had to stay when I left. Someone should probably tell the new recipient that the battery only lasts about 20 minutes. That’ll suck, but hey, it’s an SEP now (Somebody Else’s Problem…go read the five books of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy for the background on that).

In the meantime, along with taking advantage of new quality time with P and the dogs, I’m using this opportunity to pursue a couple things I’ve always wanted to spend more time on: writing and community service. I believe that everyone has a book inside them, waiting to get out. Not everyone’s will be a best seller, but the process of exploration through writing has always allowed me to distill inchoate emotions into something more substantive and, for me, meaningful. Don’t ask what the book will be about. I have no idea yet. It might not even be a book. Perhaps freelance writing, where I could earn tens or even dozens of dollars. Don’t rush me, sonny. You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. (Thank you, Billy Crystal)

The community service jones goes back to my time in Washington, DC in the early 90’s. My AmeriCorps experience put the hook in me, and other than a couple summers of coaching Babe Ruth league baseball in Waltham, I haven’t had nearly enough opportunities to scratch that itch. That ends now. I’m looking into a few different local organizations, including the local Boys and Girls Club and a Special Olympics event next month. I’m sure I’ll find more. Dr. King hit the nail on the head “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve”. I’ve had the desire, now I have the time. No reason not to, I say. Besides, who knows where it will lead?

So that’s the latest update. Stay tuned, and please don’t stop the good wishes and positive thoughts. As my dear friend Myndi likes to say “It’s all good”.