An Unexpected Push

Today, my husband was laid off from his job. It’s one of those life events that even if you’re been through it before, still hits you like a sucker punch to the gut. I don’t talk about my husband’s work too much on here, I’ve always been cautious about the potential for repercussions, but now that my husband’s a free agent, that concern is out the window.

He worked for a little company that started in 2000 and he got his start working with the owner as a freelancer in 2003 and was hired on full-time a year later as a completely remote employee. A few years later the company was purchased by Gannett, and since then things have slowly changed from bootstrapped start-up to corporate subsidiary with all those trimmings.

Six years working from home. Not a bad run.

I think in some respects we felt so lucky to have his full-time salary and benefits that we clung to this job like a life raft. Even though he didn’t love the work. Even when my new career began to take off. Even after the baby was born. Even as we’re traveling around the world, filming a documentary, he kept his job because to do otherwise would be absolutely insane. It just don’t get better than 100% remote and full benefits.

It was our crutch.

So for six years, my husband worked a perfectly good, not entirely aligned with his passions job because it was too scary to think of going it alone.

SHOVE.

Yes that was the universe placing a boot on my husband’s backside and extending.

pic: claudio_ar