The Vulture's Perch

[AFK]

It is an odd spot to be in.  You are seemingly dangling over a cliff, yet, the rope you are tied to seems to have some strength to it.  You begin to consider that you might actually survive your situation.  From certain angles, you think you can see the way towards freedom and security.  But, when you look at it in another way, you conclude the only likely outcome is your guts splattered on those sharp rocks below. 

The torturous part is, that you have a wealth of time to toss your thoughts from the dark to the light, and vice versa.  Indeed, the minutes proceed as though they were strapped to a passing tortoise.  And as each....slowly.....crawls........by......nothing happens.  You are no closer nor farther from the resolution of this episode.  Because life never happens like it is portrayed on the sparkly screens.  There is no quick cut to big explosions or a fleeting fade to a happy trail into the sunset.  No indeed, the universe can be wretchedly indifferent and very patient.  As can, the vultures. 

[Cramulus]

yuck, man! The sword of damocles hangs by but a thread...

I feel for ya. My position was in jeopardy for about eight months, it was so stressful...

Some of the things that helped keep me composed were:

1 - this job is not my only talent. If I get laid off, I will eventually find another job.
2 - the factors determining my employment were out of my control. I found this very stressful until I realized that if I can't affect something, it's a waste of my energy to worry about it.
3 - listening to Tom Petty - The Waiting is the Hardest Part
4 - in many ways, this job sucks balls!


might not work for you

heh, "the Vulture's Perch"

so are you the vulture, then? waiting for something to die so your program can survive? 

[AFK]

No, I'm not the vulture.  Basically, my fate, the fate of my program, is in the hands of Maine politicians.  There is nothing I, nor my agency, can really do to affect the outcome.  There is speculation that there is an outcome where the funding for the program gets restored, but, the state puts it out to bid for other agencies to bid on.  So, that's what made me use the Vulture title. 

This is one way I am coping, by writing.  And I really, really like my job.  I really like the agency I work for.  They are extremely flexible and let me work from home, I get a ton of time off, and then of course there is the work.  The work I do isn't about maximizing the bottom line.  It's about helping people.  And therein lies the real rub.  This thing is bigger than the 4 people it is likely to lay off.  This is going to literally impact thousands per year who rely upon our services.