Examining my Options

One hundred plus Focus employees lost their jobs this week, including my good friend Ashley. We knew several weeks in advance that the cuts were going to be made; so we had several weeks to panic and think about what we'd do if we were the ones. I felt 90 percent sure my position was safe, but I did consider my options:

1. If it would pay the mortgage, I could work for Starbucks and freelance. This seems like the ideal combination — a pound of coffee a week to fuel my creative energies.

2. I could shoot for the stars and apply to some big-name newspaper or magazine. Starting at Focus right out of college is in some ways like marrying early — though I dearly love my job, I never got to see what else was out there or test the limits of what I could achieve.

3. Go back to school for a Masters in journalism and move toward teaching. The professor I worked for my senior year continues to call me "Dr. Hadley" each time I see her. It does have a ring to it, don't you think?

4. Find a husband immediately who makes a good salary so I can stay home all day, watching soaps and Oprah.

5. (added by Dad) Stand on street corner holding sign that says...WILL WRITE FOR FOOD. (Thanks, Dad!)

As tempting as option #4 is, I did not lose my job. And for that I am exceedingly grateful. However, it's good to be shaken up now and again and realize that there are other options — other paths God may choose to direct you down, unexpectedly. And that's a comfort in sad or uncertain times.