Day 4: Now What?

Since I was laid off on a Friday it felt like a three day weekend.  I wasn’t very concerned yet.  It hadn’t really sunk in yet.  So then comes Monday.  Monday morning I was looking forward to actually being able to sleep in.  5 a.m. I am wide awake on my own.  The years of waking up at the same time has created an internal clock that is harder to turn off than I anticipated.  So I lay in bed for 20 minutes trying to fall back asleep.

Monday 5:20 a.m. I find myself drinking coffee in front of my computer.  So much for sleep.  Oh well I can enjoy the day.  I can finally start plugging away at the “honey do” list that has been growing over the last year.

2 p.m. the garage is finally cleaned out and organized.  (we had a flood earlier in the year and had to remodel the house some of the stuff moved out never made it back in the house but managed to find its way to the garage.)

2:35 p.m. the yard is mowed (I live in Florida so you still have to mow the yard sometimes even in December.)

3:30 p.m.  the bedroom is cleaned and organized.

3:45 p.m. the organizer stuff the wife bought weeks ago that I was supposed to install but never did are now on the walls.

4:30 p.m. the cars are now clean.

So I feel pretty good by this time.  After all I had a productive day.  I can look for a job the next day; after all I have always been able to get a good job.  It might take a week or so but I will get one soon.  So I enjoy the evening with the family in complete denial of the situation.

Tuesday 5:30 a.m. I begin cleaning the office.  (it is the internal version of our garage not quite put back together the right way after we moved back in from the flood.)

2 p.m. the office if cleaned.  The “honey do” list is shrinking fast.  So I decide to look online for a quick search of what is out there job –wise.

Nothing.

I mean absolutely nothing.

No worries though, I only did a cursory search.  I need time to revise my résumé anyway.  I haven’t touched it for the last 7 years.  There was no need to.  Once that was finished, I realized I have absolutely nothing to do except submit my résumé.  I mean there was NOTHING to do in a 24 hour period except fill out the same application forms over and over again.  The same cover letter with a different date, and company to address it to.

I still had a severance package and last check coming so I was not to concerned yet.  I was however, by the 4^th day beginning to feel bored, frustrated and slowly, very slowly I was beginning to feel seriousness of the situation.  The anger was still just below the surface.  But I was still optimistic.  Of course this was still only the first week.  Little did I know that what would happen come week 2 and 3.