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On Being Laid Off

I had a strong urge to be petty after the termination. For example, after having been fired, I received a text message from my employer. The text message was requesting new work from me. New, unpaid work--after I had been dismissed!

The ultimate irony: The request involved termination paperwork. I was being asked to unearth various forms so that I could assist in the expulsion of.....myself.

Wise people say: Practice empathy. It's not easy to run a school right now. It's never easy, and it's certainly not easy right now. Also: A smart negotiator offers, and offers, and offers his services. He offers more than he takes. (This actually scores him long-term points.) Easy to forget, in this Trumpian era.

So I was a model of civility. Judith Martin would have been proud.

My husband--a congenital optimist--boldly predicted that unemployment paperwork would be "a piece of cake." They--nameless government agents--want "to make this easy, especially at such a trying time."

I swallowed my skepticism. Now, several weeks later, I'm still many miles away from filing a claim. Systems have crashed.

My other employer--my infant son--has little patience for all of this. He is eight months old and struggling with separation anxiety (according to various blogs).

My response to my son's frequent shrieking is to sing "Baby Beluga," with exaggerated calm. "Is the water warm? Is your mother home? We like...to...hear...you...."

This actually seems like a wise response to *most* stressful work situations.

That's where I'm at, for now.
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