Today, my company had what we officially call a “reduction in force,” or an RIF, where about 12 percent of our employees were laid off. It was a sad day, and one that was quite surprising for a lot of people, but honestly given how we’ve been looking quarter over quarter, it didn’t really come as a surprise to me. There were some palpitations after the announcements and murmurs that there may be a second round coming. I kind of shrugged my shoulders and said, if it happens, it happens. We can’t control for it, so what is the point of worrying?

After getting laid off from my first job during a period that is likely the worst recession of my lifetime (at least, to date) in 2009, I can’t really sweat the small stuff anymore. It happened to me once and was terrifying and upsetting, and yes, if it happened to me again, I’d also be upset… but it’s never as bad and shocking as the first time. Been there once, and I could go through it again. I hope I don’t have to, but hey, you never know. You just have to keep your head up and focus on the present. The older I am getting, the more I am realizing that it’s such a waste of time and energy to worry about things out of my control. That is easier said than done, but hey, that’s what meditation and yoga are for.