Losing my Job

It’s crazy to think that it’s been nearly a year since COVID made its way to the US and would change our lives forever. So many lives lost and impacted, and at the time I never really thought that I’d be one of them. Then BOOM, at the end of October, I would become a statistic and join the 12.6M people who were unemployed.

Receiving the news hit like a ton of bricks, and I felt a range of emotions – sadness, frustration, anxiety, hurt, anger – on repeat. In the back of my mind, I always thought that my role could be impacted, but having it actually come to fruition was a different story. I worked as a Product Manager in Advertising for a travel company. People were not traveling like they used to. Travel was one of the hardest hit industries and advertising budgets were significantly reduced. Double whammy.

Since then, I’ve had time to process and reflect, and most importantly spend time with my family.

In November, we took all the COVID precautions including getting tested and visited my family in SF. Having my family, especially my 91-year old grandmother, meet my daughter meant SO much to me. The weather was still warm, and we were able to gather outside, socially distanced, and masked up. Seeing my daughter and grandmother meet for the first time was the sweetest thing – my baby waved and clapped and in response my grandmother giggled with delight. I will always cherish those memories.

The last few months have been rough on multiple fronts. Losing my job has been disheartening. And my heart continues to go out for others who have been impacted. While so much has been lost during the course of this global pandemic, the precious time I’ve had with my daughter and husband is the silver lining to it all and for that I will be forever grateful.

There is still quite a ways to go to beat this pandemic, and it will take time to process and heal from the grief it’s caused. However, not only am I hopeful and excited for the next chapter in my career, but I’m also looking forward to some sense of normalcy and more quality time with family.