Downsizing
Now that I viscerally understand that publishing a five-star book will not make me rich (I still refuse to believe that I don’t have a shot at being famous), Carol and I have come to terms with the fact that it’s time to downsize from our big house in North Phoenix, to a smaller one in South Phoenix.
The word down in downsizing has such negative connotations. Down means less, lower, depressed. Then there’s breakdown, lock-down, meltdown, knockdown, rundown showdown, and letdown, not to mention downcast, downfall, downhearted, downgrade, downtrodden, and what goes up must come down. Buying a smaller house means a fond farewell to our huge combined collection of cassette and VHS tapes, a wall of books I haven’t read since college, six boxes of 25-year-old classroom paraphernalia, clothes that will fit me someday (if I ever get a terminal wasting disease), a drawer full of gifts that are so unwanted I can’t even bring myself to re-gift them, and an extra closet full of bed linens that have seen eighty times more sex than I have now. 
There is a part of me that will miss being wrapped in the comfort of my past, but I must admit that there is a certain amount of liberation that goes with the release of material things. Goodbye and good riddance to the pool, for instance, a bittersweet parting with the beautiful landscaping that I’ve tended – to the point of heatstroke, and au revoir to you, stuffed Easter Bunny Candy Holder with motion detector. From now on, I will visit you at Dott’s house!
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I can understand getting rid of the pool, and the landscaping, but NOT the bunny. Is it really a motion detector?!
LOL! Yep! When you put your hand near the candy basket it starts to sing and rock from side to side.
So funny. If I'd known you would get so attached to it, I would have given it to you! Tell you what: when Dott gets the urge to purge, I'll tell her to send it to you.
When people get thrown under the bus en masse by their corporate employers, they often say they've been "downsized." They've lost their title, their job, their perks, their salary, and they've probably been degraded and humiliated as they were ushered out the door. They feel smaller. I know I did. But you know what? They haven't been downsized. The company's been downsized. Now is their chance to stand up and stretch and find work that lets you be fully you--work where you don't have to leave part of yourself at the door. I know Denise was using the term in a different context -- slimming down on real estate and material possessions, but the same principle applies. You're not downsizing. You're moving forward and growing into being fully you. Diary of a Company Man: Losing a Job, Finding a Life
Thanks for your comment, James. And I believe you're right. As for corporations, any worker who believes that they are any more than a cog in a wheel is delusional. If you work for a corporation, take personal pride in your work but remove loyalty from your vocabulary. Always be looking for your next better opportunity, and if you have the chance to do what you love, grab it.
You are absolutely right, Denise. I worked in Corporate Communications at Time Warner. We did everything imaginable to get the employees to feel loyal to the company except the one thing that would work, which would be for the company to be loyal to the employees. I lost that job and found a life -- teaching English to immigrants. In our classroom, we all help one another. No one uses anyone else as a means to an end. It's exactly the opposite of a corporation. I could go on . . but #1, you know what I mean, and #2 I've just written a whole book about it. Best of luck with your new life. Keep us posted.Diary of a Company Man: Losing a Job, Finding a Life
