How Low Can You Go?

I have lost my job. Note that I was not fired. I was "separated" from my responsibilities at our client’s site, but I am still employed by my company, for the next 80 days (counting from this past Friday). (At that point, I guess, I will be fired.) Until then, as I look for jobs (within the company or elsewhere), I am receiving a paycheck at my usual rate. I look at it as a kind of involuntary vacation. It’s a vacation because I’m getting paid but not working. I stuck the "involuntary" in there to remind myself that it most certainly is not a vacation. I feel as if I’m in limbo.

The reason I am no longer desired here is because I ticked off someone on campus enough for that person to request my termination. It was a person without any authority but with a lot of power. That person was not pleased, so s/he requested that I be fired.

I can’t help but wonder if that person now is satisfied because I was fired. Indeed, what sort of person is gladdened by someone else’s termination? Does that person enjoy making someone else miserable? Is that person so unhappy with his/her life that s/he likes to inflict chaos in someone else’s life? I think any satisfaction that person might get from my firing won’t last for long. That person might be so unhappy in general that nothing could make him/her happy.

It reminds me of the last two times I lost my job. Regardless of how unpleasant the separations were, I ended up bouncing back and standing on my feet and not just surviving but thriving. I think I can do it this time, too. I was a little depressed this past weekend (I stayed in bed longer than usual and had no motivation), but I’ve put my name in for two jobs within the company (Montgomery, AL and San Antonio, TX) and started looking elsewhere. My company’s primary rival has openings in Daytona, FL and Miami, FL (but do I want to trade shoveling snow for hurricanes?). I’ve found other jobs posted in northern Louisiana and south of Tucson, AZ.

Now, where in the world should I go?