Harvest.
I’m a sucker for metaphors. If given the chance to describe a personal feeling, emotion or experience, 9 times of out 10 I’m shelling out a rhetorical figure of speech, visual anecdotes and relatable illustrations.
The last 7 days, I’ve been held captive [without ransom] in my apartment. The assailant is a monster cold. Being laid off with a moment’s notice, immediately followed by a debilitating upper respiratory infection, is clearly a recipe for Code Red Natural Disaster. Mental + Physical meltdown = Holistic Purgatory.
Although I’d like to think my plentiful mucous membranes inevitably have to dry up soon, and my relentless job search efforts have to gain traction in a hiring manager’s inbox, today I simply had to physically remove myself from the makeshift MaryB incubator. Solitary confinement is absolute torture.
My neighborhood is landscaped with city parks, quaint corner coffee shops and endless sidewalks drenched in history. For my sanity and sense of self, I took a stroll and relocated my faux office outside on a bench that overlooks downtown. While staking out the perfect spot to sit and watch exercise enthusiasts tackle concrete stairs, mommies and babies playing on pink picnic blankets, dogs taking their two-legged best friends on a walk, and countless furry critters creeping around my grassy cubicle, I couldn’t help but notice during my first few breaths of fresh air — fall.
Of course, I also found myself searching for a profound connection between my life and the season. Although it inherently exudes a sense of sadness — thanks to nature’s annual funeral, there is something so incredibly beautiful about autumn. It is a miracle I haven’t caused a car accident while gazing into the rainbow of hypercolor trees that line interstates and streets while mindlessly driving to my destination in awe.
While I go through my own emotional metamorphosis, shedding (extra dry, ashy) skin and hibernating for a more promising and plentiful tomorrow, I’d like to think that I too will come out on the other side more serene, more colorful and more purposeful than ever before.
An insider on God’s board of directors recently told me that this time period of unemployment will be used to “build me up.” I’m not completely sure what that means or exactly how that will manifest in my life, but I do believe we are given an opportunity to soul search and discover who we really are when things are taken away. Although my direct deposit paychecks may come and go, and seasons continue to change whether I’m ready or not — one constant that remains through it all is my faith.
