You win some. You lose some.

So. It's been a kinda up-and-down kinda week.

I got the staples out. I've got my activation date in hand. And I got laid off.

Some of you know that I split my professional time between two non-profit organizations. On Tuesday, the good people who volunteer for the Human Resources Committee for one of them came to tell me that, for financial reasons, they have to let me go.

They felt dreadful about it, but I know better than anyone the facts and figures behind the decision. It is related, in part, to my hearing loss. My job description was significantly altered when I went deaf - I could no longer talk to contacts on the phone, couldn't attend meetings on behalf of the organization, couldn't moderate panels, and so on. And that meant I was moved to a half-time position, which was okay, because I was also picked up for a half-time position with a sister organization to do the work I still could do - writing funding proposals, legislative briefs, and such and such. But my not being able to really get out there and be an advocate has hurt my original organization, I fear, and now some significant sources of funding have dried up, and their hands are tied - they have to let me go. Just when I am hopefully about to get my hearing back.

The second organization will still keep me on half-time, but I'll have to look for freelance or other work to fill the gap. In fact, I guess it's time to dust off the ol' resume and start looking for something altogether new, although it breaks my heart, because my heart is in the work I'm doing now.

I remember saying to Husband one night, when I was feeling particularly old, "Don't you ever worry that nothing else exciting is going to happen to you for the rest of your life?"

Dear lord - what if somebody was listening????

ronnie