La Liberte!

Freedom!

Or so it seems.

Can one feel free if said freedom has been unwittingly forced upon one?

I have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed. On the dole after what amounts to almost 15 years of steady gainful employment. I was given this gift, unceremoniously, by my last employer (of 10 years) in probably the coldest way possible:

On the phone.

Voices devoid of empathy or care.

"We have our reasons and have made the right decision."

Truth be told I was unhappy anyway. I loved the work I did with individuals but had been struggling with the fact that even though I loved the idea of helping people be better, more thoughtful, more humane leaders; more compassionate, more skillful coaches; more strategic, more inclusive managers of change - still I knew that the reason I was being hired in the end was to make the gigantic corporations these folks worked for more profitable. Corporations whose business practices I didn't always respect. And I had long ago lost respect for the leadership of the consulting firm I was employed by. When the gap between the values the leaders of a company espouse and the values that show up in their actions is consistently wide enough to drive a small truck through, it's time for you to move on.

And of course there is that nagging question - is this the best that I can do with the gifts I have been given?

So. What is a boy to do? Dumped out on the streets with a decent amount of unemployment, low expenses and his life stretching out in front of him?

Does he mope about a bit? Sure.

Does he feel sorry for his widdle put-upon self. Hell yeah!

Does he say FUCK YOU to that crappy little universal buzz killer, KHARMA. You betcha!

But then, slowly and with a dawning that can only be described as miraculous, he puts on his big-boy pants and realizes that he has an opportunity now to look ahead, ask himself the hard questions and figure out what in the hell he wants to do with the rest of his life. Better yet, he gets to do that with the blessings (and funding) of his dear Uncle Sam.

Funemployment. A paycation. Dancing, as it were, on the dole.

La liberte.