mental re-grouping after a work place blow-up |
This stretch of road is rippled with frost heave. It reminds me, yet again, that my low-mileage van is actually 17 years old. The shocks are so soft that I bounce like a child's boat on a wind driven pond as I drive to work on the road. The frost heaves are slightly better than the potholes that appear nearly daily in the winter on our heavily traveled highways. An incautious driver is at risk of losing an entire wheel as they careen through one of the larger holes. In the last couple weeks, I have encountered emotional frost heaves and potholes that have threatened to disable my mental vehicle. My first challenge in navigating was when I was refused a vacation request, and I realized after much bobbing up and down in uncertainty that quitting the job was the only way to regain equilibrium and move forward on my life journey. Just a week later, as I attempted to reason my way through keeping the job and negotiating for the needed vacation, I hit a pothole large enough to set off my airbag, metaphorically speaking, and slam me against it with sufficient force to take my breath away for some time. I was abruptly dismissed from work by a long time employer, with such vehemence that I was in tears for hours trying to absorb the shock and regain my direction. I have needed to pull over, examine myself, and my vehicle, and regroup before proceeding on my journey. I am grateful that the damages sustained are minor and my vehicle remains functional. |