The U.S Unemployment Rate: 7.2%. Plus One.

Yes, friends. The recession has finally hit home, making me just another statistic in this grim economy. I lost my job yesterday.

I should be fucking pissed. I worked hard. I liked my job. Most of the people at my office even liked me (bizarre). And the layoffs seem to have come with much regret and disappointment on both sides of the coin.

But who am I gonna get pissed at? My bosses, who got choked up delivering me a very fair severance package? The shitty clients who were too scared to spend their money reasonably and now have nothing left to spend? Henry Paulson and Alan Greenspan for their greedy fucking ways that got us into this mess?

Nah. I’m not really pissed at anyone. I’m actually fairly optimistic, which is highly uncharacteristic of me.

I really see this as the next chapter. I get a little antsy when I stay in one place too long, anyway. So what’s next?

The obvious choice is to stay in the shitty, ebb and flow ad industry and keep rolling with it. Knock on some fancy brushed steel doors. Pick up some freelance work. Maybe even lock myself into another full-time gig with business cards, a new boss’ ego to negotiate and a decent 401K match.

All of which sounds pretty depressing.

The other route is to go it on my own. Seek out some clients in need of some painfully bland communication pieces and sacrifice whatever last bit of passion I ever had for this business in hopes of eking out some kind of financial reward.

Which sounds just barely better than depressing.

The last option is to pursue a whole new career path. Really find myself. Do something that I love, like hang out with my 3-year old, ride my bike around Portland, or sit in coffee shops and write, all very lucrative options.

The truth is, I have no idea what’s next and the responsibilities loom. But despite all that, I remain more hopeful than I ever did when I was gainfully employed. This might just take some getting used to.