Another Day, Another Day Job – the end of my parole from Corporate America

I realized that this week marks my last week of freedom from the Day Job. You may remember when I blogged about getting laid off, or paroled as I called it.

At the time, getting laid off felt like failure – much the way a rejection from an agent can feel like failure. In reality, getting laid off was anything but failure.

I’ve had a good deal of time to myself over the last few months and I realized something:

I’m absolutely grateful for it. The time off has been a gift. I a gift I spent on me.

I rested.

I finally caught up on some long overdue sleep. It cannot go without saying how much our bodies need sleep. I’m so thankful I had time to rest.



I read.

Oh boy, I read a ton of books. Well, 15 to be exact. It felt good to get lost in books without having to worry about being late for something. I’m grateful I had the time to read.



I wrote.

A lot. I wrote more than 111,000 words since I was laid off. I finished two MS’s and started work on a third. I’m grateful I had time to dedicate to my craft.



I spent time with friends and family.

My sister got married and I was free to spend as much time with her as possible. But that wasn’t all. There were meetings and parties and lunches. I am grateful I had so much time to spend with friends and family.



I interviewed.

I spent a lot of time interviewing for prospective jobs. I had a few great offers but in the end I selected the Day Job that will best fit for my life. I’m eternally grateful to my colleagues and network who helped connect me with the decision makers.


None of those things felt like failure to me.

Next week I will begin life at a new Day Job and all the madness that goes along with it.

I can say, with a thankful heart, that I come to this next challenge fresh and ready to learn.