Thursday, March 22, 2007

Things Change

I seem to have arrived at one of those crossroads in life that come up every so often. When I wake up tomorrow morning, for the first time since I turned 16 years old I'm going to be among the ranks of the unemployed. I've seen this coming for the last six months because my company acquired two others and found itself seriously strapped with debt and with more than a thousand extra employees. But still, now that it's finally happened, I find myself a bit stunned by the reality of the situation. I'm going to miss my co-workers and the comfort of working for a company that I know so well, obviously, but I'll also miss the daily walk that I took every noon:





This is a view of the office building from the waterway across the street. The waterway walk was opened about two years ago and I put it to good use in all but the worst Houston weather.















These are just a few of the things and places I passed along the path each day.






































I plan to take it slow for the next couple of weeks so that I don't rush into anything that I'll regret. I suppose the good news is that I'll have more time for reading and blogging...time to turn one of life's pages.

15 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful walk, Sam. I can see why you'll miss it.

    I'm very sorry about the job loss. I'll be praying for you

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  2. Hi Sam, sorry to hear about the job news. I know plenty of people this has happened to; the strange thing is many of them look on it as a blessing because it launched them onto more enjoyable career paths. But I bet it doesn't seem that way to you at the moment.
    Take care
    Nick

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  3. It's not all bad and, honestly, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I was there for 29 years so I'm hoping that the change will serve me well. I'm hoping that I can actually afford to do something that I enjoy for the rest of my working years.

    Thanks for the kind words, y'all. Much appreciated.

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  4. Sorry to hear this, Sam! Will be hoping for the best for you!

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  5. Thanks, Jenclair. I have quite a bit of paperwork to take care of before i can even begin to seriously think about what direction I want to take. But I already feel so much less stress than I felt yesterday that I'm really starting to think this will work out great in the long run.

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  6. I remember doing that walk with you Sam when I was in Houston.

    I'll walk with you on this next part of your life too.

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  7. Thanks, Pam. I wondered if you would recognize some of those spots. :)

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  8. Sorry to hear this--what a scary thought. Sometimes change can be very good, but it's not so fun when it is forced upon you! Good luck finding something new. I'd miss that walk as well--very lovely!

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  9. Thanks, Danielle, for the kind words. I'm up at my regular time this morning (5:20 a.m. Houston time) out of sheer habit. It really won't start to sink in until Monday and the start of a new work week, though.

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  10. I'm sorry it happened, Sam. My husband's job was outsourced last November. He went back to work for the same company the following week as a contractor (don't get me started on how retarded I found the whole situation).

    I hope you find something in a location that you'll enjoy just as much.

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  11. Sam ~ Sorry to read of your job situation. I hope that you can take some time to chill before you begin this new chapter in your life. It could be a fun adventure, being that you were at the other place for so long. Happy hunting! :)

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  12. Thanks for that, sfp. I suppose that I'm lucky that it didn't happen sooner than it did because this industry has always had a wild ride when it comes to mergers and the like.

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  13. Joy, I think you're right. A change like this one should be a positive thing. I just wish I could see into the future for six months to know how this will turn out...hang on, that would be a scary thing.

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  14. Sam, a poignant blog. I looked at the photos sort of reventially.
    I wish you all the best.
    -- Cip

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