Independence Day

Some of you think that Independence Day is the 4th of July and you'd be right, but my independence was conferred upon me one year ago today when The Bank of New York Mellon terminated my employment with their prodigious organization. I didn't know then how truly liberating this experience would be.

According to Merriam-Webster, independence is "the quality or state of being independent" as in:

1. "not subject to control by others", i.e. having control or rule over oneself, and 
2. "not affiliated with a larger controlling unit".

There can be great comfort in being affiliated with a larger controlling unit. Responsibility and accountability is generally shared which can defray some of the risks that come with employment of any kind. The rub however can be that you relinquish your rights to a truly independent voice and path, and submit to corporate control of your actions in business. I always enjoyed collaborating with colleagues, working toward a common goal set by management, but now I adore collaborating with my husband in our own endeavors working toward our goals. The risks are all ours and not defrayed in any way, but so are the rewards.

Many things have changed in the past year, I no longer do many things but rather do other things instead, for instance:

I no longer:

• Set an alarm to wake up and dread the sound of that alarm.
• Wonder if I can learn fast enough to do my job well.
• Dread going to work, because there's just too much of it.
• Lay awake in the middle of the night for an hour or two watching television in order to divert my mind from the business matters darting to and fro.
• Carry around a 5 pound Franklin planner scheduling and recording my every move.
• Wear contacts, make-up, business clothes or a watch.
• Go to a concrete office building everyday and sit in a box, commonly referred to as a cubicle.

I do:

• Wake up early on my own (generally with the sun) eager to get out of bed, wondering what I'll learn that day.
• Love getting to work early each day, hoping to pack as much as possible into every hour.
• Sleep through the night, nearly every night, for the first time in nearly 17 years.
• Check the date and time from time-to-time on my iPhone.
• Wear glasses, no make-up, and comfortable, casual clothes every day.
• Go to the beach, farm fields and gardens to photograph all that I see and then sit at the island in my kitchen happily doing the work at hand.

I don't recall being quite this content in recent history and truly feel that this event has been a wide open window for me. At first, I cautiously looked through, apprehensive about the unknown. After about eight months, I was standing firmly on the sill, leaning in to see what more I could see and do. And after about 10 months, I jumped through the window embracing these new circumstances, excited about where they may take us. I haven't closed the window, I still need to see where I've been from time to time - besides that would be like "burning the proverbial bridge" and we know what "they" say about that.

Twelve months after one of the major deciding events in my life, one over which I had no influence, I'm excited and enthusiastic about the future and what we can make of it for ourselves.

Cheers!

Comments

[Claudia]

Indeed you did Miss Martha!

[Martha Pierce]

It makes me happy to think I may have, in some small way, helped to push you out the window. Life is an adventure ....we all need to learn how to embrace it.

[Debra Cobb]

Good for you! I feel the same way. Morning is now my favorite time of day with the luxury of coffee, reading the paper and deciding what to do with my day. All I miss is the chance to dress up. Occasionally I open my shoe boxes and say hellow to all my pretty city shoes.