The end is a new beginning

Oops...I almost forgot that I have a blog ;o). Well, this week has been pretty eventful in a bittersweet way, so I haven't been able to make a new post until now.

Anyway, NEWSFLASH - my company is 99% certain of closing down our Copenhagen office by the end of 2008. This is not an "April's Fool's Joke"; it's for real this time (which reminds me that I should ALWAYS be careful about what I say because they seem to come true).

What does this mean? It means that our office will cease to exist, so all 10 of us who are currently employed in the office will be laid off. Well, almost. That's the bitter part.

Now the sweet part: 3 positions will remain, and 1 of them is the position that I'm in right now; a position I've been having for many years. That means technically, I'll still have a job after this year. I'll have to apply for it though (after receiving my termination notice) as it'll be under a new contract, but it's pretty much a given that I'll get it...if I want it.

And that's where I have to decide. Do I want it? You see, there are many factors to consider as these 3 positions will very likely be based on a "work from home" contract. Working from home is great because of the flexibility, but there are of course cons too, like I might go TOTALLY INSANE if I have only me, myself and I as colleagues 5 days a week for a whole year! Of course, I could as well just work on my tan at the beach in the summer and have people around me... . For crying out loud, I could even be at a beach in SPAIN if I wanted to! Or in my apartment in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria... . Provided I have online access, of course.

But yeah, I also need to think about the compensation. By law, I'll have SIX months of full pay if I'm laid off, and the company will give an extra month plus the year's bonus on top if we fulfil certain conditions, so that means SEVEN months++ for me. You gotta admit that that's a LOT. Especially if I can manage to get another job such that I can enjoy double pay... .

I can definitely use this opportunity to find something else, because sometimes a kick in the @$$ like this is what is needed to search for something new. I mean, I've been working in this same company for almost 11 years now. ELEVEN! That's more than a DECADE! I started when I was 19, stayed throughout my 20's, and am now in my 30's! It's therefore GOOD that I'm getting a good kick now because before I know it, I'll be close to retirement there!

Anyway, my near future's going to be exciting. I'm looking at this from a positive perspective, so if you're a friend reading my blog, please don't worry about me because I at least still have the luxury of a choice here: to stay, or to go, so I'm not in such a bad situation.

Do you want to know what I believe regarding why I'm the only "lucky one" in the office out of 10 (including my office manager) who knows for sure that she can stay if she wants to? It's not so much "luck" really. Nor has it got anything to do with my work performance. You'll have to hear the story of how I got my job in the first place, and I'm not going to tell the full story in this post because it's quite a long one, but I can put it in a short summary:

I had prayed for a job 11 years ago (desparately. You have no idea how desparate until you hear the history of my job applications then). God answered within 2-3 days. Therefore, since I strongly believe that this job was given to me by God from the very beginning, I also strongly believe that He honours His gift by keeping it for me till the very end. What God gives, He never takes away, and this is a big proof of it for me in my life.

You can say it's just a coincidence if you want to - that's your prerogative. For me though, I'm believing it was God from the beginning, and very clearly God at the end. I'll give credit where credit is due. If this plan goes ahead, our office will close on 24 December. That's the day Danes celebrate Christmas, otherwise known as the "celebration of the birth of Christ" (in case you've forgotten). Is it me, or does God really have a sense of humour? Well, it's pretty symbolic for me anyway - like He's just putting His signature everywhere on this part of my life.

Anyway, a toast to a new beginning to come!!! Oh, and btw - if any of you hear of a job opening somewhere, please do think about me :o). I'm open to anything except prostitution... ;o). Well, it should be a job in Denmark too, at least. Preferably in the tourism industry, but I'm willing to venture out of it if the job description is good :o).

And yes, I will have another conversation with God about my new situation, so if you're sarcastically thinking "Why don't you just pray and wait for another gift from God?", I can assure you that I will :o). Except of course, that it's not just about praying and doing nothing, but rather, being active in the search, and praying that things will wonderfully fall into place with His help.