Gratitude When You're Down
Andrew Bosma
This past August, I had the opportunity to have a late start at my job where I work for two separate financial advisors. This was especially appreciated, as I had returned late the night before from a trip, and was excited for the chance to sleep in a few extra minutes. I woke up later than my usual time, showered, and went into work. As was my particular morning routine, I stopped by my boss’s office to check in and add any additional tasks to my list. His voice was uncomfortable and calm as he told me to come in and have a seat. “There’s no easy way to say this, but I’m going to have to lay you off, effective immediately.”
I briefly went numb and didn’t entirely process what I had just been told. The gravity of the situation had yet to hit me as he explained the circumstances that led us to this position. I left his office and gathered some of my things from my desk as I attempted to understand the greater implications of this situation. I knew that I was still employed part time, and I would ask my second employer to bring me on full time to his team. I had a solution settled in my mind, and I walked into my office in the afternoon full of energy and ready to take on the challenge ahead. What I did not expect was to be turned down for full time employment, and 8 days later was let go in favor of a lower paid employee.
I was devastated that I would no longer be a part of the office where I had learned so much over the past two and a half years. I was devastated that I had been told that I was being let go twice in the course of less than 10 days. I was devastated that I was going to have to find something else, to face more rejection as I went through the process of finding another job. I was tired already from the process. I shut down and laid on my couch with no intention of getting off of it soon.
The good news is that I had something better than a job, which in this case was support. Emily, my wife, was not interested in letting me wallow. I was told that I had 12 hours to lay around in my sadness and then we were getting out of the apartment for a couple of days. As we left for our short weekend trip, I couldn’t help but be thankful. Emily was so interested in my happiness that she was willing to focus her energy on me, spend time with me, and talk to me about what I was feeling (when I wanted to do so). In the time since getting laid off, I’ve spent more time with my immediate family, my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and my 2-year-old nephew. I’ve adjusted my goals for my career and our personal lives, what we wanted to accomplish and where we hoped to be in 1 year, 5 years. I love my wife, and I love the support that she has brought me in this time, while I’m still unemployed. I am filled with incredible gratitude for the support system I’ve been blessed with. In this time that can be very busy what is a negative that you’ve been able to find a positive in? How can we all be grateful in the toughest of situations?
Andrew Bosma is 23 and graduated from Bradley University this past May. He is married to Emily and shares the home with 2 lovely cats, Rizzo and Sebastian. When not searching for jobs, Andrew can be found attending concerts, listening to terrible music, and watching weird old movies.