Tomorrow morning it will have been a full week since I got the call.
Strangely, it already feels much longer than that.
A lot has happened in seven days. I feel almost healthy again!
Yesterday
Yesterday I spoke with my lawyer, who advised me to <REDACTED>.
I also had a bit of peaceful time yesterday and managed to write a few pages in my novel.
It felt great to see progress there. Hopefully I’ll be able to spend more time on it soon.
Later in the afternoon I picked up the kids from school, got a great report about my son, came home, made dinner, read some stories, and got everyone to bed.
A pretty good evening, all things considered.
A Very Kind Gesture
One really touching moment yesterday came from my friend Saad, who was the first person to respond to my LinkedIn request for references.
He wrote a beautiful note that honestly almost brought me to tears.
Thank you, Saad. You’re a great friend.
Today
Today has been a bit of a mixed bag.
I spent some time continuing to work on the severance response, then headed out for a dental checkup on my implant, and after that I made a trip downtown to Brookfield Place to return my tablet and pick up my bike lock.
This is where the whole situation really started to feel surreal.
Last Wednesday I left the building feeling completely normal. I’d been working there for 16 years, and like many people who spend that long somewhere, I moved through the place like it was my own living room.
I left my cubicle a bit messy, hopped on my bike, and headed home. The bike itself had taken a beating from the winter road salt, but I didn’t think much of it.
I had no idea that a completely different chapter was about to start.
Today, walking back into the building felt completely different.
I found myself worrying about things that never crossed my mind before. Would I be able to access a washroom if I needed one? What if I ran into someone I knew? Would that be awkward?
A place that had felt completely familiar a week ago suddenly made me feel like an intruder. The people I did interact with were all friendly. I still felt out of place.
Funny how quickly things can change.
Bike Rescue
After that I went to pick up my bike from Voltz, and once again Sualeh came through.
He’s been my go-to bike guy for a while now, and this time was no different.
They replaced the rear caliper and brakes, adjusted a bunch of components, cleaned up a shocking amount of rust, and generally made the bike look respectable again.
I had been worried the repair bill might be painful.
Instead, the price was extremely reasonable, and he even gave me a discount.
So if you’re looking at eBikes, head over to Sunridge Mall and talk to Sualeh. Just make sure you wash the road salt off your bike if you ride through the winter.
Learn from my mistakes. (Looks much better now than in those pictures above)
Tonight
Now I’m back home and feeling pretty tired.
The evening plan is simple: take my son to soccer, make dinner, read, and call it a night.
After a week like this, simple sounds perfect.
One More Thank You
I want to say this again, because it genuinely means a lot.
Hearing from so many people this week has been incredible.
The biggest thing I feel like I’ve lost right now is the daily connection with so many great colleagues and friends. That part of the job mattered a lot to me.
So every message, every note, every comment has meant more than you probably realize.
And again, thank you for the reference, Saad.
If anyone else feels comfortable writing one as well, I suspect it will be very helpful as I start looking for the next adventure (and I’d appreciate it so much.)
Thank you in advance.
BW
Brett Wiens 