The "LO" aftermath ...

Disclaimer: LO is an abbreviation - I am sure you will figure the full-form out as you read and by the end of it, I hope you wont be too way-off (clue: it rhymes with the last words)

D+1

Spouse: "You weren't really happy there, and so this is a great opportunity to explore things beyond.... do what makes you happy now!" [Me: Yay! Eating, Travelling, Writing....but will it make us money, honey?)

Reportee: "Here's my CV, wherever you go next, please take me too !" [Me: Now that is some serious loyalty , so serious, I am flatterspooked! ]

D+2

Partner team-member : "This is the best opportunity to just take a break after nearly 15 years of corporate career and let me know if I can help in anyway" [Me: Ya right! Never helped during work, and now this!]

Manager : "Hey, here are links for some open job opportunities, apply in next 2-3 days before hundreds of CVs flood the market" [Me: Urgency and deadline even here!!! Aaargh!]

Calm after the storm

D+3

Parents : "I am sure there is something better in store , we have seen ups and downs in life - what goes up comes down and what goes down will eventually come up" [Me: Really?! CASSI NOTWEN just turned upside down in his grave! Science takes a back-seat when it's your kid in trouble, I guess!]

Stakeholder at work: "I am shocked- How can it be you? why you? You were doing so well! " [Me: Well, I definitely did not volunteer for this, nor can I nominate you even if you are keen to replace me]

D+4

Old friends: "Time to make your dream come true and open a food truck / restaurant - You start something and we will join in, anyways job sucks" [Me: Come on, show some loyalty like my reportee and jump in with me NOW, old chum!!! ]

Work-Peer: "While I feel bad for what happened, it's a good riddance, business was anyways not going anywhere - time to start your own dhandho (business), Mr Gujju bhai!" [Me: I know whom I am definitely not hiring if ever I start my dhandho, but on a serious note, where are my Gujju genes?!!! ]

D+5

In-laws: "We are very confident of your abilities and you have always made us proud , so I am sure you will continue to do so" [Me: Now, that's some pressure but thank you for the vote of confidence]

D+6

Kid: "Dad, why are you at home on Monday .....Tuesday....Wednesday.....Thursday......Friday..........and also on weekends?!!" [Me: Let's just say, we have a winter break in corporate as it's too cold in office (pun intended) similar to your summer break in school !]

Now, for more context, lets rewind to how it all began:

D-2: Kept reading, forwarding, receiving hoardes of articles on the internet about amazon laying off 30K people across the world

D-1 (morning): Rumor mills running overtime in office on which business' are getting impacted, I joke around saying our business is too small for these cuts to make any significant difference.

D-1 (evening): I receive an email invite saying "1 on 1 connect" with a 1 liner, asking me to prioritize the meet and meet in person the next day. While it skipped any details, I knew deep-down what this meant- "LO-BLOW". I spoke to only my spouse about this that night who dutifully cheer-led me into the 'D-day', 90% sure of tomorrow being a 1 -way door , yet hopeful of it being the proverbial '2 way door' decision [Well, gone are those days, wifey!]

D-Day

Put your best-face forward

While I am not sure about 'calm before the storm', but I can proudly say it was "Calm during the storm" - sadly no one to attest! Without going into any specifics or details, let's just say, I gave the designated 'harbingers of LO' news, 10 mins of their time back from a planned 30 min meeting. I am known to be expressionless / poker-faced in general but that day I brought my 'A+ game' to the fore! I am sure if people outside the room had not known, they might well have congratulated me for getting 'hired'!! (Ah! Another rhyming challenge). However, my heightened senses during that period captured all the emotions, phrases and adjectives that were strewn around in the room during those 20 odd mins. (thats for another day, another post)

5 stages of grief

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross hit the nail on its head when she described the 5 stages of grief by stating: "stages are not a linear timeline to be followed in a specific order; individuals may experience them in any sequence, go back and forth between stages, or not experience some stages at all. Therefore, experiencing these emotions in a "reversed" order is simply one possible, natural progression (or non-progression) of the highly personal grieving process."

And yes, here I am - I started with acceptance (no denying all other 4 stages were interspersed) and eventually aim to end the cycle with acceptance too !

Meanwhile, all eyes on what's it going to be at.........

"D+365" :

Kid: "Dad, winter is long over, why are you still here?!!"

OR

Kid: "Dad, when's your next winter break coming?"

THANK YOU and GOOD BYE ! [The gist of entire episode]

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