Pink Slips Are Kind of Pretty
After decades of slugging it out in the corporate world unexpected is the pink slip that greets me a day after a-once-in-a-lifetime cruise. But what comes next is equally unexpected.
The call to write–God quietly and steadily courting my soul–I had stubbornly and silently countered for years. No one knew about my decade long spiritual journal. The dollar store booklets filled with thoughts and reflections remained secretly stashed in a bedroom bookcase. But the job loss that signals the end of a major life chapter actually 
flips the page, literally.
Seemingly travelling a hundred miles from my life as a business professional I write two narrative non-fiction books (not yet published) and create a blog. Each blog post highlights a book chapter theme; each chapter bridges the span between God and everyday living. Through many life stories are found surprising and intimate connections in ordinary places.
A Closely Guarded Secret
When I think to share my closely guarded secret–about writing a book (and for a long time it stays that way)–it is clear the impression on those who ask next: “Oh, a book on business?”
My eyes roll–I loved my old job but not that much.
A quick and embarrassed explanation gets choked out, “narrative non-fiction spiritual-wellness genre” and then I cough and change the subject.
The raised eyebrows and confused expression signal the enquirer’s discomfort at discovering a broken mold. Perhaps the trim lines of my tailored business jacket don’t jive with the mental picture of some beaded ethereal-looking guru and writer of spiritual truths.
I can relate. I am not exactly comfortable with the broken mold myself and there’s no way I am going to consider a gauzy tie-dyed tent-dress look. God might be calling me to write but heaven forbid I should look like a psychedelic balloon.
God’s Thinking
And what is God thinking? My resume shows a business degree and a professional designation. There is no line item about writing. Lodged in this detail is clearly the source of my secretiveness and disquiet. But I am a hands-on person. And writing is a lot about listening.
My job as a national credit manager was a great place to hone the art of listening, getting at the essence–the truth of a business and its viability–but at the core was the people. I communicated all over Canada and the U.S. Part of what I did was to assess and write about what I saw. I had to distill what I heard to get to the heart of what was going on. People’s situations and stories captured me. Little did I know how critical these skills were to become when my life path veered off course.
And God’s grip on me to write feels like being pursued by a quiet yet ardent suitor. With eyes averted and head down I avoid advances until I run head long into the wall of a pink slip. Ouch, didn’t see that one coming!
Yet maybe I do. The signs are there–a restlessness that is both internal and external. I had been at my job a long time. Doing again and again the same things, within a prayer builds of growing desperation “Please Lord, surely there is more.” But there is too much invested to jump ship. My silent plea dovetails with a growing spiritual longing for a greater connection with my Creator. Perhaps the job loss, after all, is part of a greater plan, hidden in its demise another purpose.
The Borg Collective: “resistance is futile”
This new world order presents a struggle. I remember that long ago television series Star Trek Next Generation recalling the “resistance is futile” directive of the Borg Collective. The Borg forges through galaxies swallowing up entire civilizations with assimilation their single goal. God it seems is equally persistent. But unlike the Borg who want to eradicate identity I discover God’s purposes are in fashioning uniqueness and refining identity–blending the material and the spiritual.
And resistance is futile. I am not, after all, immune to and unaware of the silent courting. Starting with my own stories and then drawing on the many associations developed through years of volunteer work plus supporting a faith community, I invite people to share their stories and a book series is born called The Tapestry Books.
The books are about finding God in unexpected places; hadn’t expected that –God revealing there is more; much, much more. Two narrative non-fiction books evolve with working titles: God Quest–God Discovered in Everyday Places and Intimate Connections–God’s Graces Revealed in Everyday Places.
A Blog And Other Things
While abiding, with expectation, on the eventual publication of the series I blog from my residence in the Greater Toronto Area. When not writing or taking writing courses I go to fitness classes so I don’t end up having to wear tent dresses, but this is not assured. I am a cab driver, escort and general manager to a beautiful but aging mother, a counselor and confidant to my daughters but thankfully no longer their taxi driver, and a partner and sympathetic ear for my hard-working husband. Occasionally I am found hanging around my local church helping out here and there– most recently treasury but not any more. To keep my business skills sharp I offer administrative and event planning services to the Toronto Chapter of the educational institution where I received my professional designation. All of which, of course, is to avoid doing any real work.
It’s an adventure.
Hope you join me.