Now what?

Friday started out perfectly. I was home because I have every other Friday off (perfect schedule, I must say, and worth working the early and long hours I do each week). I was researching vacations for this summer, skimming through some tutorials for my new Adobe CS5.5 Suite (very excited about this!), planning a fun wedding anniversary date (six years, I really can't believe it!) -- having a wonderful, relaxing day.

That is, until my husband called to say he was laid off. Yes, laid off! He was working for an internet company. You know the ones...hip, amazing perks, new technology and the like. Yeah. Isn't that the biggest cliche ever? Being laid off from an internet company? Come on!

So the first few minutes were cool. I pretty much kept calm. Sure, we can deal with this, I thought. But then the shock wore off, or came on, I don't know which, and I just started thinking...now what? He has never been unemployed, ever. Neither of us have ever switched jobs without having a new one lined up already. Sure, we have some savings, but we have never been in a situation like this, feeling like the rug has been pulled out from under us. I know this is the reality that many Americans have been dealing with, many in far more serious context than us. We are lucky: we don't have kids, don't own our house, don't have a lease even really. We can move if we need to. We have family offering up living space if it comes to that.

There were a few hours of utter panic and complete, overarching stress. I am a planner. I like to have things lined up. Plans B and C and D. Having to start completely from scratch is scary for me. But, I think we will pull through. I really do feel like the economy is on the upswing and there are more and more job listings popping up every day. I feel, so far, like it won't take too long for him to find a new job. He got his last one within a week of searching and that was only a few months ago. That's a good sign. And anyway, we have been just itching to make some sort of meaningful change in our lives. To move, to explore, to try new things. I want to go to graduate school someday soon. He wants to try his luck in journalism elsewhere. We want an adventure. So maybe this is the universe saying, "Do it already!" The past few years since we finished college, we have just been working to figure out what life is like after school. Maybe now is the time to make something of it.

Hopefully our savings and/or luck will last us until we get somewhere new and wonderful.
We are making new plans and keeping our fingers crossed.

 __