When The Music's Over
The music, in the reminiscent tone of Jim Morrison, was over - finally. Well, not all music, more like that annoying 20 minute song you want to skip over on the LP of life, or that horrrrrrrible pop song that gets stuck in your brain and plays in continuously despite your strongest efforts to hit delete. It was Friday the Thirteenth '06 - my lucky day. My last day at a miserable job. Actually, it wasn't the job that was so miserable but the company. Either way, it was over. I left the parking lot after the finish of my 8pm shift, Dylan appropriately screaming Drifter's Escape from the car speakers My trip hasn't been a pleasant one / And my time it isn't long,... my thoughts blurred as the headlights cut the January darkness of the exit road. ...and while ev'rybody knelt to pray / The drifter did escape. Freedom, whatever that meant, was mine - for now.
Returning home, as if from war, I was numb - there wasn't much left. By strange coincidence the name of my former department (Product and Technical Support Department) shares the same acronym as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - some cruel joke I suppose - it was time for rehab.
There are no journal entries to show how I spent my first weekend, but my first 'officially' posted act of the following week was to shampoo the carpets. Perhaps subconsciously a clean sweep, but I think Freud would have agreed that the carpets were just damn dirty. The rest of the week was a quiet gathering of thoughts as I recall, and then Cathy and I had planned as our first declaration of freedom a concert in Cambridge, Ma. preceded by a dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Henrietta's Kitchen.
As we were seated in the restaurant, settling in and just beginning to study the menu an unexpected ironic coincidence occurred. The owner and founder of my recent and former place of employment walked in with his family and was seated right next to us ! Could this actually be happening, the infamous Doctor making a house call? I was close enough to reach over my shoulder and touch him or perform any number of other sinister deeds if I was of such a mind. I was not however, and remained satisfied just to revel in the irony of the moment, the perfect serendipitous end and beginning to this chapter of my life - served as an appetizer, gratis.
My miraculous overdue recovery presented itself three months later in the unexpected form of Yogic breathing methods and meditation, assisted through a course taught by The Art Of Living. Over the course of several more months, some breakthrough art projects, a vacation to Portland, Or., continued exercise, scheduled R&R, a lot of yard work and home improvement, this blog, and an employment search rounded out the rest of the summer. Fall brought with it a vibrant change in color, above average temperatures, and yielded a new job as well - a return to my professional roots.
That return came with an unexpected emotional bonus when an overwhelming reception by new and old friends greeted me upon my arrival. This warm welcome and my return to familiar surroundings can hopefully mark a reprise of positive employment experiences and a new beginning.
And that, as exclaimed in a memorable episode of Friends, is closure !
Editor's note: This is the conclusion to my first post: Zero Sum Game - Sound Lessons in Survival of the Corporate Soul.
Returning home, as if from war, I was numb - there wasn't much left. By strange coincidence the name of my former department (Product and Technical Support Department) shares the same acronym as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - some cruel joke I suppose - it was time for rehab.
There are no journal entries to show how I spent my first weekend, but my first 'officially' posted act of the following week was to shampoo the carpets. Perhaps subconsciously a clean sweep, but I think Freud would have agreed that the carpets were just damn dirty. The rest of the week was a quiet gathering of thoughts as I recall, and then Cathy and I had planned as our first declaration of freedom a concert in Cambridge, Ma. preceded by a dinner at one of our favorite restaurants Henrietta's Kitchen.
As we were seated in the restaurant, settling in and just beginning to study the menu an unexpected ironic coincidence occurred. The owner and founder of my recent and former place of employment walked in with his family and was seated right next to us ! Could this actually be happening, the infamous Doctor making a house call? I was close enough to reach over my shoulder and touch him or perform any number of other sinister deeds if I was of such a mind. I was not however, and remained satisfied just to revel in the irony of the moment, the perfect serendipitous end and beginning to this chapter of my life - served as an appetizer, gratis.
My miraculous overdue recovery presented itself three months later in the unexpected form of Yogic breathing methods and meditation, assisted through a course taught by The Art Of Living. Over the course of several more months, some breakthrough art projects, a vacation to Portland, Or., continued exercise, scheduled R&R, a lot of yard work and home improvement, this blog, and an employment search rounded out the rest of the summer. Fall brought with it a vibrant change in color, above average temperatures, and yielded a new job as well - a return to my professional roots.
That return came with an unexpected emotional bonus when an overwhelming reception by new and old friends greeted me upon my arrival. This warm welcome and my return to familiar surroundings can hopefully mark a reprise of positive employment experiences and a new beginning.
And that, as exclaimed in a memorable episode of Friends, is closure !
Editor's note: This is the conclusion to my first post: Zero Sum Game - Sound Lessons in Survival of the Corporate Soul.
Labels: Essays
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