work

A Weekend in Transition

Ethan

May 2, 2023 — 3 min read

Working through a tempestuous time

So, I got laid off from my job at Vice last Friday. Not surprising with the news published Monday, but so concluded the longest I've been at the same company (so far).

I found myself writing this the following Tuesday, five days since it was official. However, I am in a rather great mood. That may be understandable from some angles, but an additional series of events ended up being delightful. I wasn't expecting this type of news at the start of any Friday, but then it came. Immediately after, I contacted my Fiance, immediate family, and a few trusted friends. Not a great start to the day, but hey, at least I didn't have to worry about meetings later in the day.

Taking a little break and having lunch, I posted a quick note on LinkedIn to let folks know what had happened, and then my weekend was supposed to start. What happened next turned the day and many more on its head.

First, I started getting messages from co-workers on ancillary teams, which may have seemed insignificant. Later more messages appeared from our support team members who had moved on to more significant roles and now work within or with teams at many new opportunities. They each reminded me that despite my losses of the day, it was never really about Vice or any company. I was more disappointed in losing the connection with team members who became friends. It was clear that #work never needs to be a zero-sum game; This was all it took to realize what I wanted to do.

Spurred on with an extra bit of motivation from a great phone conversation later in the afternoon, I reached out to everyone I had previously worked with and started just checking in, and planning some time to enjoy together, even if it was bullshitting on a Discord call. Later, my buddy linked me with some really cool stuff and built a custom macro-pad for my rig. I have to plan a trip to Philadelphia to pick it up, and we plan to make a day of it.

Later on, I got some calls from my future in-laws, which were extremely kind, and reminded me how much neglect I had given in some aspects, so I have some goals to work on there too. Self-reflection is one of the things, and as reliable as a punch to the guts is, a layoff will have you wondering what value you represent after the adrenaline wears off.

Saturday, I mainly spent trying to distract myself, grew bored of Destiny 2, and then moved back on to painting. I got several minis to a stage where I was happy with them, hadn't thought about work, and found myself experiencing a much tougher loss on Sunday. The Knicks lost the first game of the second round to the Heat (as expected as I looked before the first half had ended, this cursed the game according to local lore).

Despite getting through the weekend alright, when Monday came around, it hit hard, silence, but at least I could chat with some folks on Discord, and everyone seemed to be doing okay, except for those who got left behind. Now the Times has run an article circling anyone who knows anyone who ever worked Vice, and I find myself a bit divided.

While I cannot affect the current situation, I find myself surrounded not only by a comfortable space to reignite some inspiration in magic, people, and technology. So I've set some hangout time this week for the gang and plan to enjoy "Air" with Sara tonight at the Alamo.

The only thing I have been worried about today is a couple more conversations I have lined up for this afternoon, remembering the functions of my Ambitious Card routine with a fresh deck of cards and what opportunities I have without the burdens of the past to limit those options. I'm in a privileged enough position to refocus on what's important, which is why today is a good day.

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