Misfortune

Today I treated myself to lunch at Taipei & Tokyo 3, my favorite Chinese restaurant. It's become almost a weekly ritual for me to show up after their lunch rush, get a table for one and order my ole standby… Orange Flavored Chicken. I'm waiting for the day that they don't ask me what I want because they already know, a sure sign that I've become a regular. Just about the only variation in this little routine comes in the form of fortune cookie wisdom. Each meal ends with the bill and an individually wrapped, folded orange-ish "pastry" made in Brooklyn. Don't laugh, that makes it pretty close to authentic. This afternoon's daily pearl was bookended with smiley faces as always, "Your luck has been completely changed tobay." Here's the story of just how true that fortune is.

This blog and my return to the writing path began with my choice to leave a place of employment in favor of authoring a book. I've received compliments for my apparent bravery for making such a bold move. I attempted to be gracious and humble, but the decision actually came a little easier than it seems simply because I knew it was right for me. When asked for more in-depth answers to the question of why, I most frequently stated that it wasn't that the job was bad, just that I had something else that I really wanted to do. Depending on the audience I'd throw in a "but it wasn't the perfect job either… otherwise why would I be interested in something else?"

Eight days ago it was announced that said former company entered into an agreement to hand over their operational and technological aspects of the business to a former competitor. Other divisions of the company will remain, however the end result is that many of the people I worked with on a daily basis will be in search of new employment. Some of them have already initiated that operation. While I feel a sense of failure regarding my contributions to this former employer, even though I'm no longer a member, I know any feelings I have are tempered by my distance compared to those that still remain. I'm of course hopeful that everyone there will land on their feet in some way or another, however the cold reality of the current job market points to that not being the case for each affected individual. I still have close relationships with several former co-workers and cringe when I hear of the anxiety and bad blood that is perhaps inevitable with such a traumatic event. Rampant resume work, corporate disillusionment and profanity laced conference room meetings are just the things I hear about. I try not to think about what doesn't make it outside the walls.

I'd also like to believe that I've developed enough as a human being that I'd never enjoy the pain of another, no matter who that person represents. I know this is true from my sincere hopes for everyone involved, even those I might not have seen eye-to-eye with. With apologies to those readers that are directly affected by these events, I just can't ignore what they mean to me. While I would NEVER wish for a sign of this magnitude to provide direction in my life, I also will not allow myself to ignore it. Had I not chosen the path I am currently on, it is entirely possible that I would have been forced down it. This is far from the first indication I've experienced to keep my compass pointing true. In fact, it's not even the most significant to me personally. But it is the one that most impacts others in a negative fashion and actually makes me grateful for the choices I've made. We're all our own worst critic and had I needed to be present for this corporate downsizing to push me back on the path, I'd regret not being proactive. I certainly don't want my fate intertwined with people losing their jobs.

So I chose something rather than having the choice made for me. I suppose some people might consider that lucky. But it wasn't today that those events took shape, they actually played out over half a year ago. Further it was eight days ago I heard about this, not today. And if you have a real keen eye you'd have caught that the predictive little piece of paper I received with my lunch didn't actually say "today." That wasn't my typo, that's exactly what it said. So, my luck did change completely, just not exactly today. That's how I choose to interpret it anyway… since I don't feel like changing my name to "Tobay."

With heartfelt wishes for my former comrades.