What do you call an uncool duck?

In eight days my position with my current employer will be cut due to a lack of funding. I was here for a full six months before I was let go because my employers were unable to secure funding for my job and the job of five other people. The gist of the situation has been talked about here so I will try to not rehash the whole series of events that led to this unfortunate and unforeseen set of circumstances.

Now is the time for me to move forward and get on with life. Life is full of ups, downs, struggles, and triumphs. This is just one episode in my life that can be filed under “Downer.” But at the end of the day, a lot worse things could be happening and with the support of those that love me and everyone else I will still be able to do this:

So, I am not going to let this set back set me back at all. I have gained valuable experience while I was here and have learned a lot about this world and society in which I live. I will probably look back on these past six months as the most influential and life changing of any that I have ever had. This job has given my life a charted course and I hope that I can stay on it for many years to come.

This job showed me that people who live less than a mile from struggle with circumstances far worse than any I have ever dealt with. There is real sadness in this world and I have tasted just a little bit of it. I have steeled myself to the idea that I will try and help as many people as I can in life. No matter where I end up after this is over I hope that I can continue to help people from all walks of life.

I believe that is where I am supposed to be and what I am supposed to do. This job offered me great happiness, great triumphs, and some of the worst struggles I have ever dealt with. During my tenure here I struggled with how to be successful and ways to be a success more than I have at any other point in my life.

I am not sure what I am going to do next but I know where I want to head. I will work towards that goal with the same tenacity and strength of character I brought to this job and I know I will be successful. I know that the outcome for me will be positive.

That is often more than can be said for many of the families and children I have met and worked for during the course of the last six months.

On a brighter note, I ate lunch at Fertitta’s today and it was awesome. It was the perfect balance between full and too stuffed to move. As has been previously documented, "The Muffy" there is absolutely the best and the ambiance leaves nothing to be desired. Who can complain about eating in a room where you are probably at least three generations younger than the next youngest person? What a pick me up!

My friend Ryan and his new t-shirt

To make things better, I even managed to sneak a nap afterwards as I wind down the rest of my lame duck tenure here at work. That and a whole lot of reading, writing, and posting on the internet are all I have and will do until next Friday.