Monday, April 11, 2016

Return To Form

There is an awakening happening.

It is time that I started out on this again, but with a different focus. This is going to be about me. Yes, comic reviews from yesteryear will stay here. Not sure what else to do with them but to show how far one has come from what he used to be all about.

I'm not sure what the direct focus will be other than to set aside some time for myself to create something in some way. Some posts will be random notes and junk thoughts. Some will be intelligent and insightful. You'll ultimately decide which is which.

The part that I want out of this is a raw look at myself. Where I've been, what I'm doing, and what the plan is from here. If you don't have a plan, you will be successful at doing nothing. I want more than that out of this life.

I'd like to say that comedy notes will be here. Some short stories. What I can guarantee is that is will be personal, and it will be me.

Let's first look at something that happened recently that found me at a major loss for words - my old job.

My old job was at an internet company that specialized in filtered email for students. I loved that job. When I moved, I was hurt that I couldn't keep the job, but leaving town meant more to me on a personal level the benefits of the job. Turns out, it was a good choice on my part.

There were layoffs at the old job. A lot of people, close friends, were let go due to company restructuring. I couldn't believe that the, a company of about 70-80 people, used a line that is reserved for the de-humanized corporations that go through budget cuts and massive layoffs.

From the looks of it, I would have been let go during this process. It was something that I just didn't think could happen to me, and I'm thankful I'm not in the position to be one of those who were let go.

In an alternate reality, another David still in Illinois would be having the worst week ever. Right now, I'm having one of the better ones. I think I like this reality.

Going through the talks with friends and the emotional churn that it had, I got the sense of some survivors guilt that people had. It was an emotion that I hadn't really seen. Granted, it wasn't as intense as if people died all around you and you experience it in a heavy sense of the word, but it was mixed bag of emotions that I saw my friends go through. On one hand, you still have a job. And yet on the other, the guy sitting next to you probably doesn't. And they aren't just some guy, they are a friend that you've had for years.

The other people aren't dead, but you are now wondering if there is anything you can do to help out. You don't want to see a friend hurting. You do anything you can. Sometimes it can be as simple as a text or phone call. You leave your contact information for them to pass around as a reference. The lengths you can go for your friends depends on closeness and distance. From here in Texas, there isn't much I can do in a physical sense with a hug or having a drink at the bar. But I can be there in spirit. From leaving Facebook messages to sending a text, every bit helps. You reach out to tell them they aren't alone, that they have support.

There will be those who listen, and take the reach out to their heart. There are some that will sink in to the depths of their own head. At the end of the day, you can either face the unknown future that is now before you and embrace the darkness, or you can stumble about and make things worse. When I was in that position, I turned a bit both ways. But I immediately knew when I had crossed a line for myself, and decided to make things better in the end.

Call it the power of positive thinking if you must, but I call it just knowing that whatever this is that is happening to you can just be another blip on the radar in your life before the next turn on the path. All you need to remember is to stay on the path and keep moving forward.

No comments: