Today I filed for unemployment

First of all, it has been a long time since I last blogged. There are probably a variety of reasons why that is, which I may chose to explore in a future post. But for today, I will focus on the title of this post.

Today I filed for unemployment.

Honestly, I never thought I would say or type those words.

Ok, confused? I'll back up and see if I can bring sense to this for you - and maybe for me.

In late August, I realized that my effective time in my previous job was coming to an end. I struggled with the decision. What could I do? In many ways, I felt trapped in my job and couldn't see a way out. With tremendous support from my husband, we realized it was time to look for a new job. To do that, it very likely meant moving away from where we started our lives together.

Labor Day weekend I assembled a resume and cover letter and submitted applications to several positions in the same field that were in a more focused area that I believed were a better fit.

From that point, everything seemed to click. Within weeks there were interviews (phone, skype, and on location).

In many ways, it seemed that God was answering our prayers. Sometimes his answers were not at all disguised.

And then it came, the job offer. It was in the position that I wanted, the interview seemed to indicate it would be a good match.

I discussed the offer with my husband. We wrote down a number on a piece of paper and said that if the finances matched what we had written, we would know that it was the right thing to do.

And, so it did.

In a matter of days, I accepted the new job, gave notice at my previous job, placed our home on the market, packed our belongings and said goodbye.

Before our final trip to the new town, our house sold - for the price we asked for and a cash sale. Again, it seemed that our new journey was being informed.

I began work less than three months after our search began. Initially, everything seemed great. I enjoyed the work - it was what I was looking for - better balance, more focused. My co-workers and I seemed to gel - we were making progress. They complimented me and said that I was doing good work, that they enjoyed working with me.

But something was not clicking. My supervisor. Her body language now that I was employed was very different than when I interviewed. Experiencing a cold shoulder would have been nice compared to some of the daily experiences.

In hindsight, I should not have been surprised.

On Friday, February 13 (yes, Friday, February 13!) I was informed that "it's just not going to work. You've done great work for us, but it's not going to work. Please turn in your keys and credit card."

And, my personal favorite, "Sue, I'm really sorry. Please, please let me know what I can do to help with this transition."

Seriously? I'm sorry? At this point, I don't think I would really want your help, lady.

It's been a roller coaster since that day. So, maybe it's like the stages of grief - but the unemployment version.

Today, I filed for unemployment.

What lies ahead?