Gainfully unemployed

After 16 years working in one capacity or another for the same company, in the same industry … I am now officially the very thing I never imagined I’d be.  I’m gainfully unemployed. 

In this case it’s really not an oxymoron.  Frightening? Yes.  Contradictory? No.  It’s a state of being quite foreign to my very nature.  It’s a thing that is soberingly and unjustly true of too many these days ~ through layoffs, downsizing, lack of opportunity or jobs.  As someone who was driven by a desire for stability and security in her 20s, my career was something that I built and nurtured, and never something that I took for granted.  When you work at something long enough, it ends up forming at least a part of your identity. 

So how can one be ‘gainfully’ unemployed? In my case only as a necessary part of the process of preparing for life with A in the UK.  My profession doesn’t really exist there in a recognizable form due to some fundamental differences between the US and UK with regard to health care, insurance, negligence laws, litigation, and other details I won't bore you with.    Although I’ve gained much from the hopefully transferable skills I’ve acquired through the years, I believe that change can be a very good thing in life.  To that end, on Friday I leapt out of the proverbial plane with a parachute, pulled the ripcord, and am hoping for expecting the best.  It’s a leap of faith, but a rare opportunity and a challenge I am ready to embrace. 

Turning 40, getting married, ‘retiring’ my career, moving house, moving country, all in short order.  I overheard a colleague imply to another that it’s like yanking me out of every aspect of life as I know it.  I may as well be going to Mars the way some see it.  It’s not for everyone.  It’s not easy to explain.  I’m not going to try. 

I’m going to ride these currents to distant shores like an explorer, and make the most of my days.  Platitudinous, but true ~ life is what you make of it, and, happiness comes from within. 

I can’t wait to share my life with A …

… wherever that takes us.