1 – Stop for that latte on the way home to keep from shaking. Then wish the barista hadn’t asked you “how’s your day.”
2 – Email husband (who is out of town for a week – with no clue) close relatives and friends from your iTouch, while drinking your latte at Starbucks, about your new situation. Try to keep from crying in public. Save that for the drive home.
3 – Arriving home, field incoming calls of condolences on your lay off. This keeps your mind off the reality of what your taking about for hours!
4 – Multi-task between phone and incoming email responses. Finally make an email stationary so you don’t have to repeat the situation one more time. Sister Kelli’s email says two words” “Oh shit!” (Now she knows what I am thinking.)
5 – Stare in the fridge, at the TV, play solitaire on the iTouch… Cry, sob and feel darn sorry for yourself. Think of all the reasons why they kept on the personnel that was under 30 but not over 50. Give yourself 24 hours to feel all of this. There is no way to stop it anyway. Your cat (or what ever pet you have) is great for lap sitting, taking your side, licking your wounded soul.
6 – Take a long look at that closet. You have wanted to clean it out for years. Now’s the time to get rid of the clothes you have had hanging there for 10 + years. Make room for new, or pare down just in case there is a move in the future. Bag up the clothes you sorted out and spend a little time write it down for tax write-off. (Goodwill or the Senior Thrift store will love me, maybe.)
7 – Meet gal friends for lunch. They are great for support. (I feel like I am on Lipstick Jungle (TV show), but for the middle class person … maybe better to call it “Chapstick Jungle”.
8 - Take all those clothes you bagged up and drive them to the thrift store. Get mail. Don’t open the bills…yet. Take the great 75% discounted clothes (please save a couple nice things for yourself) you got at Macy’s the day before lay off and prepare to take them back.
9 – Tell yourself you are going to do all those things you have wanted to do when you were working at an office from 7:30 – 4:30. Start a list so you have goals.
10 – Wish you had the job back, think about all the things you should email them about how good you are and the projects you handled so well…yada yada yada. Don’t do it.
Time to get on with life. No matter what it brings. HOPE is the key word here.
If you happen to stop by my post and want to add what you did after lay-off, it would be fantastic!
Posted under Laid off - Made Redundant, Nancy
Funny, I don’t remember my hair being that long… But Nancy will attest to the fact that I’ve ‘pulled her leg’ for years 
It’s a romantic full moon, when Pedro said,
