I went to acupuncture today and, as I often do, had an enjoyable conversation with Nance about religion/spirituality/astrology peppered with some politics. It was a good start to what turned out to be a very notable day. I did pick an angel card today; the word was ADVENTURE.
And on my way home I'm a little worried, because Sal got called in today for a talk with one of the principals at his company. We both thought it strange that he'd have a meeting on a Sunday, and he didn't have good vibes about it at all. Despite being #1 guy last quarter, in his line of work at this level, things often are cutthroat and nasty. Plus, Sal has had a history with this man - his archaic manage-by-fear tactics cause untold amounts negative energy throughout the organization. Sal has audaciously criticized him on several occasions (Sal used to be a principal in his own software company - he has engrained ideas about effective leadership - and, let's face it - part of him has never stopped being the boss).
I've met this principal myself on several occasions and can tell you he's a self-loathing misanthrope. But, we said, the holidays are coming, and Sal's numbers are great...Q1 is set to be a record-breaker. This guy would be a fool to push him the wrong way, no? Sal needs to collect the rest of his bonus too, so, maybe this wasn't as bad as it sounded.
I walked in the door and Sal was back, sitting on the couch.
The bad thing happened.
I won't go into too much detail but it was made clear that this principal wanted him OUT. And when someone on the board hates you, despite the pettiest of reasons, despite your hard hard work, your years of profitability for a company, you're just toast. And so it is. Sal resigned. Two weeks before Christmas. With an 80% chance of a baby on the way.
We talked for an hour about options, about his strengths and areas of opportunity - and what should his next step be? We both noted right away that this may have been overdue- we were both exhausted by his travel schedule and he'd been very unhappy with the company culture for a long time. Perhaps this was the kick in the pants he's needed. And then we went to the deli to grab a sandwich and some produce and chicken to make for dinner. We figured out a short term plan. And we came home.
And we were happy. A wave of relief swept over us. We realized how heavy that job had been on us.
I can't explain it but as the day wore on, we became almost giddy. Suddenly, the future seems brighter than ever. It seems possibilities abound. This news...this unfortunate turn of events should make us unhappy -we should be glum, no? No. Instead, our relationship seems to absolutely shine in times of trouble. We become an unstoppable team. And we're feeling more optimistic than we have in a long long time. So we hung our lights outside and finished decorating. Tonight he helped me make some more holiday cookies. I hooked up my I-pod to the Bose Wave and we sang and baked. And when the Barenaked Ladies came on, he grabbed me and we danced in the kitchen.
If I had a $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you a house
(I would buy you a house)
If I had a $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you a K-Car
(A nice Reliant automobile)
If I had $1000000 I'd buy your love.
If I had a $1000000
I'd build a tree fort in our yard
If I had $1000000
You could help, it wouldn't be that hard
If I had $1000000
Maybe we could put like a little tiny fridge in there somewhere
You know, we could just go up there and hang out
Like open the fridge and stuff
There would be already laid out foods for us
Like little pre-wrapped sausages and things
If I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a fur coat
(But not a real fur coat that's cruel)
And if I had $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you an exotic pet
(Like a llama or an emu)
And if I had $1000000
(If I had a $1000000)
I'd buy you John Merrick's remains
(All them crazy elephant bones)
And If I had $1000000 I'd buy your love.
If I had a $1000000
We wouldn't have to walk to the store
If I had a $1000000
We'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more.
If I had a $1000000
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we’d just eat more
And buy really expensive ketchups with it
That’s right, all the fanciest dijon ketchups
Mmmmmm
If I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a green dress
(But not a real green dress, that's cruel)
And if I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you some art
(A Picasso or a Garfunkel)
If I had $1000000
(If I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a monkey
(Haven't you always wanted a monkey?)
If I had $1000000
I’d buy your love
If I had $1000000, If I had $1000000
If I had $1000000, If I had $1000000
I'd be rich
I think this might turn out to be a good thing.