Serendipity II

As if I hadn't had enough of that stuff this weekend, apparently it is still lingering.

* * * * *

I turned on my computer last night when I got home, after unpacking, trying to decompress. My schedule was completely blocked, except for this 15 minutes that I'd done a self-block on, just to keep my sanity.

At the top of the day's list was the following:

7:00 Performance review - call your boss.

Seriously, people? 7:00 a.m.? How many of you have ever seen Mrs Chako out of bed before 7:00 a.m.? And seeing me at 4:00 a.m. because I hadn't made it to bed after the Steel Panther/GVR poker session doesn't count.

I started laundry, put away the clean things I didn't wear, and watched the clock, feeling utterly exhausted but not being sleepy.

My email finally booted up, with two surprises - conference call moved to 7:15 a.m. (in my world, that's a whole 'nother cycle of REM, which I love), and performance comments delivered in advance.

The advanced intelligence was good. No bad surprises, plenty of good surprises.

Then today I got on the call. The advanced intelligence was the stripped down version, and the in person version was even better. I think the most flattering comment I got was that my boss had done a lot of interviewing, saw a lot of intelligent people with the technical capabilities, but he said "you had all that, but somehow, I just thought you'd be a good fit for this group, and every day, I'm even more convinced that's true."

I love compliments. I sometimes have a hard time taking them, but they make me glow . . . well, forever. If you've ever said anything complimentary to me, its filed somewhere in this noggin. Sometimes verbatim. Often, with videographic reproductive capabilities. And to be honest, I have a huge amount of pride in my work, so a compliment is really one of my best motivators.

I finished the rest of the discussion, still smiling.

* * * * *

So what does this have to do with serendipity?

Well, 9 months ago, I had the opportunity to interview for this job for the first time. Less than a month later, it was more than an "interesting opportunity" - it was almost necessity. You see, a little over 8 months ago, I was told I was being let go of my then-current job. 15 years . . . and that's all she wrote.

Six months ago, I accepted the offer for the job I have today. Today, not only did I walk away from the conversation with a glow, but with a purpose, with confidence about my influence and my impact, and, even given the economy for the past year, with the promise of a bonus in two weeks that will effectively result in effectively making 50% (*) more for something that gives me more job satisfaction, puts me in more control, makes me a bigger fish in a bigger pond, for a more recognizable company, with a better title.

If you hadn't stopped feeling sorry for me losing my job prior to this, you'll need to stop now. I insist. Really, I'm ok. I think, save for a few life experiences, this weekend included, getting fired was one of the most serendipitous events ever.

* * * * *

So who's coming to the Chako house for a party to spend some of this loot in the new year?

Respectfully submitted,

The Wife

* Editor's note . . . in my post-bonus euphoric state, I'm apparently not as good at math as I normally am- forgot to annualize the bonus . . . its more.