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j.

Duly Noted: "Your position is no longer needed."

Interesting.

I lost my job about five hours ago. I was casually told that it was because “my position [was] no longer needed,” an interesting choice of words considering I’d been already replaced mere hours before I was formally and impersonally let go, from my “temporarily part-time” position. I’d expected this news sooner or later, and well... here we were.

Now, I’m sitting here watching Oprah and she’s talking about a new CBS show “Undercover Boss”1 (premiering after Super Bowl XLIV). The show takes high level bosses and puts them into the entry-level positions they are multiple levels of management away from. I don’t think I could have watched this and not thought about my own job, excuse me “former job,” and how this relates to life in the grander scheme of things.

At work, in the weather center...

I called my mom as I walked away from the job where I’d pretty faithfully spent the last three years of my life, and about 75% of the time I’ve lived here in Atlanta, three thousand miles away from what I’d known as home. My mom did the typical mom thing, and we laughed together at what she was sure (and correct) was my reaction, “Yeah mom, I know. God has a plan for you, this will make you available for what the Lord has for you next, blah, blah, blah. Lady, I get it.”

I believe all of those things to be truer than true and, obviously, quite timely. But in this moment, I was pissed. Pissed. This job had become a major part of my life, somehow had attached itself to part of my identity to others, and become a part of how I even defined myself. Then all in a less than thirty second conversation with a man I’d met only twice before, that was all taken away, because my “position [was] no longer needed.”

Interesting. Mixing the terribly delivered message from my manager’s manager and the Mom Speech my mother delivered, it’s made me think about the way God works. To balance out the craziness that I’ve experienced at work, I've had to believe there was a greater mission at work and a greater purpose being served. The Lord gave me three years at this job, afforded me invaluable experiences, and I’ve met outstanding, talented, and generous people, all of which have gotten me through the last three years in this position in my life.

At work, still... in the weather center.

But now, I’ve got a new place to move. My position, here, where I stood this very morning, is no longer needed. Excitingly, a new position awaits; wherever it may be, however it may look.

My last status update said “Onward, Forward, Upward,” my outlook for whatever is coming over the horizon. How often is our position no longer needed, but we remain where we are until we're politely (or not so politely, lol) tapped on the shoulder, and asked for our keycard? To be honest, I wrote a letter of resignation for this job three months ago, to the day.

Interesting. Between a meeting with management and talking with Mom and the Lord, I got what we strived to give every single day: The news I’d expected and the balance I deserved. That, was 11Alive.

Best,

j.

PS: Thanks to everyone at 11Alive that I’ve worked with for all the great times, big thank you to those of you who have helped me in innumerable ways, taught me so many valuable lessons, and offered me unrelenting support. I promise I won’t forget it, or you. Until next time...