Deep Thoughts by Marcus Pulsipher

Okay so it's been a while.  That reason is simply because in the last few weeks my life has been completely turned on its head.  Many of you know that two weeks ago I was laid off from my job.  Given what's been happening in the economy, especially in the real estate and investment sectors (the life blood of my industry) it was not a total surprise.  The company's numbers had been looking bad for several months and the projections were looking even worse.

However, despite knowing it was a possibility, it still came as a complete shock.  The days following were a tapestry of emotions.  I ran the whole spectrum between fear and faith and back again.  It just shocked me how fragile our security is and how it can all change in an instant.

As if to drive that message home even more, I soon found out that a friend of mine, who had recently been hospitalized, had passed away.  One day she was an active, granolaesque, super runner-woman and the next she was dead from liver failure.  There was no known illness.  There was no rhyme or reason, her liver just quit working and they couldn't get her another one fast enough.

Suffice it to say, these last few weeks have been very full.  Full of fear, full of joy, full of opportunity, and most significantly, full of forced growth and learning.

Here are a couple of lessons that have made their way out of all the craziness to see the light of day:

1) The fear of something is much worse than the reality.  Over the last few months I had closely watched what was happening with the economy.  As a result, I had come to really fear for my job security.  I'd survived the first big round of layoffs, but I knew that if more were necessary, I would be vulnerable.  That constant worry and fear weighed down on me.  It crept into my personal life as well as my work.  Going to work became a bleak affair.  We were all scared for our jobs and consequently, the quality of our work suffered.  Well, I now know that despite the uncertainty of unemployment, it isn't the end of the world.  No matter how bad the economy or any given situation you may find yourself in, there are always opportunities available to those willing to seek and take them.

2) Be prepared for anything.  By that I don't mean that it's a good thing to be paranoid.  That would just suck.  I think I mean more that it is essential to forge a character that won't be shaken when the storm comes.  Don't expect that there will be time to fix a problem or deal with an issue later, because you never now what will come tomorrow.  Now is the time to take care of the petty issues and misunderstandings that are a part of every day living.  Don't make mountains out of molehills because you never know when you will be presented with the Himilayas.  You'll have plenty of mountains to clime, there's no reason to make more for yourself.  Live every day with a "conscience void of offense toward God and toward man."

The only reason I say this is that I dodged a bullet in a major way in this area.  A few months back I found myself in the thick of some problems that were of my own making.  Had I not taken the steps to fix them when I did, or had the events of the past few weeks happened back then, I think I would have just fallen apart.

3)  God is truly in control.  That may seem like a strange thing to say when it appears as if life has essentially taken a dump on me these past few weeks (my apologies for the visual), but if there's a prevailing attitude and feeling that has attended me lately, it's not one of anger or defeat.  Instead it's one of quiet assurance.  There are times in all of our lives when it seems like we just watch as God appears to takes the reins (or when we are just more able to see that His hands are the ones holding them).  This has been one of those times in mine.  I've been able to watch as opportunities have been presented and doors opened that have very little to do with my efforts.  I've done what I can to find employment, but that's not what's providing these opportunities.  They're coming out of left field and I am happy to say that it looks like things are actually going to be just fine for me.  I'll most likely get to stay in Denver, I'll get to continue to work in my profession, and it may even turn out that I'll be in a better situation than I was before.  I'll fill you all in on more of what's happening when things become a little more finalized.

Okay, so this has been a fairly heavy post.  I apologize for that.  It has just been such an incredible few weeks that I wanted to get some of this stuff down and out there.  I assure you all that I continue to be my light-hearted, absent-minded self.  I just hope that now I may be a slightly more wise one (as I'm sure you're all hoping for as well).