Irony

My wonderful friend J. was 'laid off' from her job - so now we really have something in common - we are both 'former employees of the company formerly known as....'. Her last day was Monday. She's been handling the whole 'hey, I don't have a job and it wasn't my choice' situation very well - partly because while she didn't technically have a choice, she knew it was coming and sort of pretty much wanted it to happen. And it did.

I've been encouraging her to try to take some time OFF. She has a pretty darn fine severance package (much more generous than mine because I was laid off from the 'fomerly known as' part of the company and she's been laid off from the 'we are taking over/buying out that horrifically bad formerly known as' company) and she has enough 'salary' to survive for months.

She is determined and driven and incredibly motivated and smart - and she wants to be employed NOW. Which is entirely possible given that she's already got a couple of possibilities in the works. But I think she should enjoy some time OFF - time that she didn't have to have a baby to get - time that she deserves. And time that she needs - only she doesn't realize she needs it because she's never had a down moment in her life. Never a moment to just pause.

I was shocked and stunned and hurt and scared #$%^ less when I got laid off. And I was very, very fortunate that I did get some severance and thankfully, had enough savings to limp along for as long as I needed. I actually accepted a really low paying job with a hellish commute in desperation and panic 9 months after I left my employer - and then, like a miracle, the job I really wanted - the job at the college that I'd applied for months before and never heard a word about - happened. And that led me to working in education. And that's been a very good thing for me - it is a great fit and I really love what I do. And none of that would have happened if I had rushed into taking the first thing offered. I actually didn't really even look for a job for a good 2-3 months (again, very, VERY fortunate to be able to say that - I am blessed - I know that).

So J. is easing into her 'non-work' days. Today was her second day with no place to go, nothing to do [not really - she's got two kids and a house and a husband so it's not that she doesn't have anything to do, really,....you know what I mean]. And I called her this afternoon just to say 'hi' and let her know I was thinking of her. I reached her voicemail and left a message. She called me back. I said 'hey, how's it going? Where are you'? and she said 'I had to report to jury duty today. I had been summoned in October but I was traveling a lot that month for my job so I postponed until April - and wouldn't you know, they summoned me. AND, I have to show up again in person tomorrow AND it looks like I might be picked'.

We had some good laughs over this. She's doing her best to 'look mean' and inflexible, uncooperative, etc. because the irony of the entire situation - to spend her first days of 'unemployment' serving on a jury was not a part of the plan - is just too much. And please, friends, don't leave a zillion comments [all 5 of you that read daily] reminding me/us that jury duty is our civic duty. J. has served on a jury before that WAS a trial - a long, lengthy trial - so it's not like she's shirked her responsibilities.

She's showing up tomorrow dressed as non-professionally as possible and trying to 'act mean'. But I told her 'being smart shines through and they're going to know that about you'. So she'll probably get picked.

It was a good laugh in the mid-afternoon of a long day. It's fitting, somehow. She didn't want to take a break, and now she may not. She may be on a jury, in a trial and then start a new job. With no break.

And she'll be fine with that, 'cuz she does fine with whatever life throws at her.

I am, however, secretly still hoping that she won't be picked or it will be a very short trial and she'll give herself a few weeks of 'down time' - meaning being a 'stay at home mom' for a few weeks. And try to wedge in a matinee, alone, on a weekday. There's nothing better than getting the first serving of freshly popped movie popcorn. And watching George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Oceans 11, which is how I spent one of my first days as unemployed. I highly recommend it. And I hope it happens for her, too - even if she borrows my Oceans 11 DVD and sits at home and watches it. I'll make the popcorn. And I have all the sequels, too, so we can just watch the entire trio in an 'Oceans' marathon.