So You Got Fired?

I’ve been fired twice. The first time I was only twenty-five and it hit me hard. I knew I couldn’t work with United as a flight attendant for too long, since it wasn’t intellectually stimulating, only loads of fun. When I got fired, I didn’t have a clue it would happen. Back then, I was a party girl, so premonitions weren’t at the forefront of my thoughts. The firing wasn’t about my work ethic, but about two people who didn’t want me around. My supervisor pushed me to have an affair and when I declined, he became angry. On a month of layovers, a female stew preached about religion and didn’t like my belief system.

A year after my sudden firing, with a high-powered lawyer at my side, I received a settlement and was offered my job back. I said no. The thought of returning gave me more nightmares than the firing, and I still have them fifty years later. The upshot is that I started an informative job at a music store and played piano and sang in restaurants and clubs in LA. 

When I was fifty, I started work at Harrisburg Academy as the school piano player and teacher of music. Right away, I knew I’d be fired. By then my intuition was strong and I didn’t avoid psychic thoughts that weren’t pleasant. Five years after I started, the headmaster found out that I worked pro bono on murder cases and canned me. I drove to the next town, rented a studio from a music store, and taught private students there. One of my students was a board member’s daughter. Her mother kept at me, why did you leave? I suggested she look at the books, and told her I thought he feared my abilities. He was fired two months later.

The hardest part about being fired was telling people, since they often assumed I had done something wrong. My good name is important, and I felt wounded. It still makes me want to cry. Only time and new jobs helped me move on.

When you know something is about to tank but you want it anyway, just do it. Preparation can help a little, but to believe in destiny can help more. Those slammed doors opened better avenues for me. It can happen for you too.