Second Chances
“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat”
Napoleon Hill
Back in November, my position at my former employer was eliminated, which meant I no longer had a job. Of course, I went through all of the stages of grieving. It’s amazing how much of our self worth can be tied to our work. Once we are no longer working, whether or not it’s our choice, we can feel such a sense of loss in who we are as individuals. When my son was off to daycare and my husband gone to work, I struggled so much with, “what do I do with myself now?” I would awake with such a heavy sense of gloom. Most people dreaded Monday because they had to go to work. I dreaded it for the opposite reasons. Now some may find this just a little bit curious and think of me just a bit off my rocker (chuckle). I know my mother thought so. But bear in mind that I had been going to work over the last 20+ years and this wasn’t a choice that I had made but one that was made for me.
I first allowed the holidays to numb me to my new reality. January 2nd set in and I had to face what was before me and make some decisions. Of course, one of the first questions asked of me was, what do you want to do? And my answer, “I don’t know!” I did know I didn’t want to work in an industry where jobs are easily outsourced. But then the question becomes, where do I go from here? The health field is the hottest growing industry. So, should I follow the path of my mom who was a nurse?
Well, I suppose I should say that of all the things that caused anxiety and depression, (yes, I was depressed) my age was not something I viewed as a hindrance. I guess that’s because I ascribe to the camp that believes that second chances can happen at any stage of your life. For some reason, the world tells us that if you’re not “successful” or have found your path by 30, you have failed. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Many of the framers of our constitution were middle-aged men. When Thomas Paine wrote the “Rights of Man,” he was in his fifties. What you’re doing at 30 you may not be doing at 50 and at 70; you may very well have found your true passion. Look at Betty White, 90 and still going.
I say all this to say….life is an evolution. I supposed that is the beauty of it. Although sometimes evolving is painful it can and does lead to second chances. But it is up to us to seize them when they come. I know I did. That is why I am working at Parables & Books and loving it! But that’s a post for another day.
Comments
Dorritt May 16, 2012 at 04:22 PM
THE BEST IS YET TO COME. Now you can write about grandpa life . " The wild and reckless life of Jerry Mck"