If you follow me on twitter, then you already know that I'm sitting at home on my couch and that it's not for any of the right reasons.
Today the company where I have worked for the past four years informed me that my position had been eliminated.
I sort of expected the conversation, but I thought (hoped?) that it wasn't coming for a few more weeks. I worked there as the Training Manager, coordinating the professional development of our staff. I launched an online corporate university, successfully initiated a management training program, and managed a number of other really important and complex projects, but when a company is bleeding money as badly as that company is, training is often the first thing to be cut. It doesn't matter how valuable (and in some instances federally mandated) that training is, when something has to go, it will be on the list.
So I was on the list. Laid off. A few weeks before Christmas. Without any sort of severance. (But, hey! I'm looking like a genius for hoarding vacation days now! At least there's that.)
Mr. Husband and I are still sort of reeling from the news. Like I said, I was relatively certain it was coming, but certainly didn't expect it today. And, I'll be honest, I had no clue that a company which I thought cared about its people would lay them off without some sort of severance. That bit blind-sided me.
But, we'll figure it out. It's what we do, after all.
In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here wrapping Alexis' Christmas gifts and being incredibly grateful that I finished shopping for her a long time ago. We are committed to making sure she is not negatively impacted during this bumpy ride, and knowing that she will have the sort of Christmas we want to give her is a huge relief.
Oh, and a huge thanks to everyone who has left encouraging words on twitter. I am incredibly grateful to have so many amazing and fantastic and kind people in my life. And, yes, I am talking about you. So, thank you.