As this year starts to draw to a close I do look back and am struck more than ever: what a difference a year makes. This time last year - the world had a very different complexion. As Christmas approached last year my husband was working ridiculously hard in his job, aware that things were not looking good. Frantically trying to hang on to the bottom rung. As it happened, two days after Christmas he lost his job. In the split second of that phone call when he told me, our life shifted on its axis. Immediate and rueful regret of all that money spent on Christmas presents. Concerns of what on earth would happen next. An indicative sentiment of modern times; what would our friends and acquaintances think? In short; free-fall.
A day or two passed and the concept bedded in. A new motto was borne in our house: you can't fight in your pyjamas. The fact that I'm an employment law specialist suddenly came into sharp focus and with help from lawyer friends we were able to right-size what had happened and secure a bit of a future. But you can't fight in your pyjamas. A big lesson learnt. You have to get up and show up, get out there and bounce back.
Luckily after a while he got a new job and in the meantime we spent four months together, forming plans and building a business and pondering what life is all about anyway.
Now that things are better I am so pleased that things turned out this way. What seemed like a nightmare twist of fate has actually handed us a second chance to evaluate life. His job now is more home-based. Our children actually know he is going to be around between a Monday and a Friday. He is influential and instrumental in daily life in a way that he never was before.
So this year, as Christmas is around the corner I feel very thankful that it all worked out. Thankful that I married someone with the gumption to move on. We will raise a glass to that old company for they did us the biggest favour...ever.
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