I don’t understand the meaning of laid off.
You’re not alone. It’s a little unsettling, to have someone tell you that you can’t work anymore. You were doing a good job, you were enjoying yourself (maybe) and it was a good way to provide for your family. Yet, at some point, it was decided that you’re not going to be paid anymore, so you should just vacate the building. What’s the meaning of this phrase? What’s the meaning of laid off?
Do you feel a little relieved?
That’s totally normal. Maybe you’ve been watching the lay offs coming, day by day. The stress and dread have been killing you. Now, finally, it happened.
“I knew things weren’t good at my company when they closed down half the bathrooms in our building,” Rodney writes, “The economy was going down the toilet, but we sure weren’t.”
Rodney knew rough times were a”head” when they closed down half of the paper’s potties.
Working through the meaning of getting laid off, as well as the resulting emotions takes time. Rodney had no idea what he was supposed to be doing or feeling when the lay off was going down. Possibly, he still has no idea, and you can tell if you read his stream-of-consciousness piece about the moment.
What else does being laid off mean?
It means you don’t have to go to work. It means you can sleep in. It means you can spend an entire day organizing your kitchen by the color of your spices. It means that for at least a few days, you can focus entirely on yourself and your family, since all that time you spent working for your family meant you didn’t get as much time with them as you thought you would.
What did it mean for Rodney? It meant he could work hard at getting NPR to notice him. It meant he could take care of his suffering lawn. And finally, it meant: he could rediscover and redefine his passion.
