about face

So since my last entry, I did get an answer to my application for the VSP, and it was denied.  Denied, meaning I was not approved to leave the company with a nice package, but with a contingency.  I was asked "if we deny your application and agree to move you back to Alabama, will you stay with the company?".  Of course my answer was yes.  So in reality, I get the best deal I could hope for - I'm going home, not on my own dime, and keeping my job.  Talk about burden lifted!

When this was presented to me, it was not entirely a done deal.  So, I waited for 3 weeks to find out "for sure" what was going on, and when I would be expected to relocate should it come through.  I was on the train to work on a Friday morning that was supposed to be "D-Day" for all who applied and others who didn't but would be laid off involuntarily.  I got a call from a friend and co-worker in Huntsville who told me that the controller there had been laid off that morning.  I was shocked and confused; he was not supposed to be one that would be cut - he was, to our knowledge, solid.  Suddenly there was a fear of "who's next?".

When I got to work I sought out a former Huntsville manager who had taken on a new capacity which required him to be at the corporate office a few days per month.  He confirmed the story and told me of another Huntsville co-worker being cut.  He also explained that none of this had anything to do with me or the plans to move me back; the lay-off plans had been decided long before, and it was a benefit for the company that I was willing to help the staff by moving back.

So, it was with a heavy heart, but a glad one, that I accepted the offer to return, at company expense, in a slightly different capacity.  Additionally, I would be working with a colleague I had known for several years who had recently moved to Alabama and would now be my boss.  Oh, and by the way, could I be in Huntsville to start working in a week?

That was early September.  Now is late October, and in the past few weeks I've arranged to terminate my condo lease, moved in temporarily with Lacy and Jeff, and found a house that I'm closing on in 2 weeks.  I've scheduled movers to load a rental truck I've scheduled for the move, scheduled flights for myself and Lacy, scheduled to have the condo cleaned once I'm out, and Lacy and I will drive a 16' truck from Chicago to Huntsville a couple of days before Thanksgiving.  Pray for us. 

In between all of that, I've moved into my office at the Huntsville plant and am trying to get re-oriented to plant operations.  All of the staff is the same with the exception of the 2 that were laid off and the 1 that is now covering both Huntsville-based locations along with one near Muscle Shoals.  My former co-workers seem a bit unsure of me; they're not sure whether I'm one of them or one of "them" meaning those corporate people who are not to be trusted.  Fact is, I have changed.  In spite of feeling my goal in working "up north" was not completely fulfilled, I have gained a broader understanding of company operations, and of what is expected from the plants and why.  I'm like a half-breed; partly plant, partly corporate, and I think that should be an advantage to everyone.

So my move is in the works and I'm excited to be planning various projects for my new home and how it will benefit my family and myself to be back in Alabama.  I have a play-set in my new back yard for Lennon that the sellers have agreed to leave.  I have plenty of space for all my junk, and enough ideas on what I want to do around the house to keep me occupied for the next year.  There are downsides, things going on with my family that are unwelcome distractions, but at least I'll be around instead of 600 miles away.  I'm glad for that.

Yep, it's hard to leave the city that has been home, and I will miss so very much about it all - my work friends, my city friends, the condo and all that goes with it.  But I'm so very appreciative of the opportunities and experiences I've had.  I know now that I can embrace change and challenge and survive.  I took on the city with nothing but my own spirit of adventure to shore me up and proved to myself (and all who doubted I'd make it) that I'm strong and capable and secure enough in myself to make it work.

It's not a huge accomplishment - people do what I've done every day, and more.  But it's my accomplishment and the next time some unexpected opportunity comes my way, I'll tackle it full force like a mad linebacker.  I just have to wait for that next chance to come along; I might even go looking for it if I get bored in the quiet of Alabama.