1 year and 1 day ago I was laid off from Kodak. Something that was probably inevitable, but now seems more like fate. The tense, division-wide conference call, the typical "we're going to get through this" (where "we" is the company, not the majority of people on the call), and then the call after the call- "Your position has been eliminated."
Then the quiet relief of being totally screwed or completely free. I chose being free, and decided to make 1/29/09 the best day of my life.
I never looked for a "real job" again. Instead- wine, social media, and wild dreams of making a living doing exactly what I loved seemed more like options versus fantasies... Options that didn't exist before.
Spring of 09 was tough, but amazing. I had never spent that much time at home in ATL. For 9yrs, my life had been a 100+ days a year of of flights, hotels, rental cars, and meetings-- When that stops, it is eerie, but a good eerie (if there can be such a thing). What does a lazy morning feel like? My dry cleaner thought I moved away. My neighbors thought I was unemployed-- Truth is, I had never worked harder.
Fast forward- Murphy-Goode announces "A Really Goode Job", I dedicate 3 months of my life to getting it, have an outpouring of support (that I am eternally grateful for) from a huge community of social media, wine, friends, family, ex-business partners, and Atlanta- And then I'm here. Six months in wine country... The best experience I've ever had.
Now, 1 year later, I'm looking once again at fantasies that have become options...
2010 will be the hardest working and best year of my life.
(much more to come)
