The Day After: I eagerly walked out the door -- couldn't wait to get out of there. I'd miss SOME of my colleagues but not the 60-plus hour weeks, unrealistic project deadlines and the pursuit of unattainable targets. Fortunately I had eight weeks from the time of my initial severance notice to when I actually departed. I was able to thank colleagues who had been my cheerleaders/reality check/commiserates over the years. Yes, we made plans to keep in touch and lunch frequently.

The best laid plans......

But the reality is once you're gone, you quickly disappear off your colleagues' radars.

Being severed (laid off sounds much too bloodless) after 15 1/2 years with the company seemed like the kick in the pants I needed. I wasn't happy with my current leadership/situation, I was now free to pursue a career that was more in tune with why I work and in an organization more in tune with my values.

First stop: my parents. Not wanting them to worry, I delayed telling them of my layoff. I didn't want them to find out from my voice message. Telling my siblings and friends was easy, my folks was hard. I felt like this wasn't a business decision but a personal failure.

Stop two: a visit to the outplacement center offered as part of the "package. Convinced of my ability to network my way to a new career, I jumped right in that same day to start my search,

Now: The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays sucked the wind out of my job search sails. On Dec. 1, I fell and tore my MCL. Crutches made it tough to navigate through the snow and ice. At least that was my excuse. I did bake Christmas cookies for the first time in 10 years. It was easy to say to myself that after Jan. 1, I would be exclusively focused on my search. My goal is to spend 20 hours a week looking for a job.

My initial optimism has given way to life in a depressed job market. After the New Year's holiday, when it was time for most of the people in my life to go back to work, I was quite sad. Many of my prior workmates and friends traditionally took the last two weeks of the year off. They'd be streaming back to the office with stories about their vacations, travels and families. I always had looked forward to the planning for the new year and the feeling that we really could make changes this year. Instead I was home feeling sorry for my self. This lasted about 5 days.

Last week, I decided enough of the pity party. Using the training funds available through the state Dislocated Worker Program, I enrolled in a mini-MBA Project Management class at St. Thomas.

Saturday, I begin a Microsoft Office applications class at Normandale Community College (taking advantage of their Unemployed Tuition Waver program.) If I can't find a position right now my strategy is to update my transferable skills. Networking is my top priority.