“Take it on faith, take it to heart, the waiting is the hardest part…”

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash

Part 1 in this series.

Losing my job and being thrust onto the job market at this stage in my life has been…disorienting to say the least. I’ve had a pretty solid sense of my professional identity for a long time now, but that’s been sucked into turmoil I didn’t ask for.

To be clear, I know I’m not special. Millions of us are out here in the boil and undertow of this process, looking to make our way to the surface and paddle in.

If only it was as easy as following our leash back to our board and climbing back on.

In the confusion and stress of looking for work in THIS economy, I’m doing what writers do. I’m stress writing to try and make sense of this stage. More than a journal but less than a user’s guide, I’m simply looking for ways to put my rushing thoughts to some kind of use.

After writing the first few of these things, I thought it might be of interest to other people. Not as an advice column (given, what the hell do I know?). Not an inspirational set of thoughts (though some ideas might feel hopeful). Not a story with a prescribed plot (I mean, I’m still living this as I write these).

Maybe this really is just for me. Or maybe it will help other people feel less alone in the middle of the process.

Either way, I’ll run out the string of these passages on my socials and blog, if for no other reason than to say I was here and I lived this. If you decide to follow along, welcome. Sorry it made so much sense to stay, but thanks for staying, nonetheless.

Note: Please enjoy the title of this piece in its original context.