shifts and changes ... part II

Around the end of July, I could already sense that there were shifts directly ahead in my life. Something in the air, in my spirit ... do you know the feeling? A sense of anticpation, a whiff of change, a slight thrill of expectation.

I'd felt a job change was imminent; I was working long days, accomplishing a lot, and although I loved the internal customers on whose behalf I worked, things just felt "off", out of alignment. Change came on August 13 when my position was eliminated and I was laid off. Change happens and we either chafe at it and shake our fists at the sky or we embrace it and see it as an opportunity. I'm a bit of a Polyanna ("Let's play the Glad Game!"), so I was actually excited to see what new opportunity lay ahead for me for the next phase of my career.

I really want to get back into Web/Interactive management; I find it so creative and challenging and I know the work so well. I am passionate about the customer experience and marketing results: how people interact with online media, how they make the choices they make as they use a Web site, is the information organized well? is the interface optimized for superior performance? are the buttons placed logically in a way most users have learned? are there any copy errors? (As a copywriter/editor, copy errors are a big pet peeve of mine. If a web site can't get something as simple as spelling correct, it impacts users' perceptions about the rest of the company and their product.)

There's another shift coming along: my daughter and son-in-law have bought their first home. Instead of being just 12 minutes from me, they'll soon be an hour away. Currently, I go visit with them and my granddaughters (mostly my granddaughters) every Tuesday. On Fridays, I take my granddaughters to dinner and we hang out afterward. On Sundays, it's church or breakfast. Things will be changing, but we'll find a way to still make the most of our time together. The new house is big and wonderful and move-in ready. Plus, it's an incredible buy and has stunning views of the lake and the mountains. I was close to tears with happiness for my daughter and her famly when we went to the new home for the inspection on Saturday. Their first home! Another shift for all of us ...

And now, the world itself is shifting, shifting into fall. What a wonderful time! After the excitement and activity of the summer, we pause and breathe, slowing down as nature adjusts her tempo and we take notice of the changing temperatures, the changing light. I have crystals hanging in my living room window (another Polyanna idea!). When fall comes and the sun shifts down toward the equator instead of being directly overhead, the rays hit the prisms and rainbows dance all over my living floor and walls. When the girls were younger, I'd tell them the rainbows were angels come to play. "Look, Nana! There's an angel on your arm!" they'd laugh delightedly. The sun also comes through the narrow sidelight in my entry, casting an eerie, comforting light in the entry area. Change is in the air. Do you feel it?