Out of the Blue

I really didn't see it coming this morning when my boss IM'd me and said, "We need to talk."

I guess he just didn't know how else to say it, so he just laid it right out there: "Your position at Accenture is being eliminated".

My boss was keen to emphasize that it had nothing to do with me or my performance (in fact I just recently got another "Exceeds Expectations" review), but that some leadership people way up on high decided to eliminate my role. Nobody will be replacing me, the work that I was doing for Accenture will just stop. My boss fought it as hard as he could, and in fact it seemed more like I was consoling him rather than the other way around when he had to tell me!

Still, it totally knocked the wind out of me. I'd talked to my boss before about whether my job was in any danger, and he'd assured me that he'd never had any inkling that any of us were in any danger. Apparently he was just as surprised at the news as I was, and equally blindsided by it. I'll give him credit though, as he was told not to tell me until HR could sit down and drop an anvil on my head in a face-to-face meeting in the office the next day, but he told them to "go f*ck themselves" and called me straight away. Luckily I was working from home that day, so my boss arranged for the rest of my calls for the day to be cancelled while I just sat around in a stunned daze.

I spent most of the day reading up on visa regulations (since I'm on an Accenture-sponsored visa, if I lose my job I lose my right to stay in the UK), looking at open postings, and telling people like my brother and my parents the news. It all seemed surreal however, as I just couldn't quite process that this all had really happened.

Finally at the end of the day, I felt like going for a run with the hash and seeing friends, except that it was POURING rain. Not just a slight bit of rain, but sort of "you might as well be standing in the shower" kind of downpour. In truth, matched my mood a bit.

So I knew that I was in no shape to actually properly go for a run in that kind of rain. Yet, I figured that staying at home by myself wasn't a good idea either, so I pulled on my wellies (oh how I love my English rainboots!) and headed out into the storm.

Got to the pub where I found all my friends, including some I hadn't seen for a bit, and a large number of soaking wet people. Yes, my crazy friends had seriously gone for a run in that overwhelming downpour.

Yet, as soon as I told my friends, I was once again reminded of why I'd known it would be a good idea to come out that evening. Everyone immediately gave me hugs and plenty of sympathy, bought me a glass of wine, and offered to help in any way they could. Whether I needed to move and needed a spare room to stay in or needed them to call their friends at other consulting firms, or even just go out for a drink to cry into my beer, my friends were all there for me. They say that in times of crisis you learn who your true friends are, and as it turns out, I have a LOT of friends. (Yeah baby, all of those people on Facebook aren't just a list of numbers!)

Finally, warmed by a glass of whiskey and the love of all my friends, I walked home, splashing in puddles with my wellies. And a boy stopped me and asked, "That's wonderful! How did you know to wear wellies today?" I laughed and replied that I'd only put them on after it was already raining, but I was sure glad I had them!

I've got friends, I've got wellies, and I've got all of the boys in London who can make me laugh. I'm going to be okay.