makin lemonade brb

i got fired from my job on friday. after spending the last year and a half leading an amazing team and raising support for those who are experiencing homelessness or near-homelessness.

“clearly, you’re not happy here,” my boss told me.

news to me!

“and we’re taking things in a different direction.”

you mean a DIFFERENT different direction? or just the same direction without me in the picture?

i was blindsided. i am still so confused and have way more questions than i have answers. and in all honesty, i am devastated.

this has felt like the longest weekend of my life. it hasn’t even been 72 hours after losing my job and it feels like it was five years ago since i stood outside my office building to pick up the obnoxious amount of legos, play-doh, officially licensed animal crossing-themed tchotchkes, and hot pink office supplies i kept in my office.

it still really hurts. i don’t know when that will change. maybe it won’t. i miss my team, the others i was fortunate to work with, and all the amazing humans who passed through our agency’s doors. if i’m guilty of anything, it’s that i took advantage of an opportunity that was too good to be true, and that i was never able to fully convey how grateful i was for the people i worked with and the amazing work we did together.

one of the things i like to keep in mind when organizational change happens is that big changes — especially those that are beyond our control — often breed innovation and give way to new and (usually) better opportunities.

i suppose that’s true when you’re unemployed, too. there are plenty of opportunities to pursue, and i’d be lying to myself if i said i had no interest in consulting again (but this time striking out on my own). i also really want to start “codifying” my philosophy on fundraising and leadership. there’s a lot of different ways that can manifest.

when life hands you lemons, innovate.