Within a blink of an eye....

This last month has pretty much knocked me down as low as I can possibly get.  I am typically the type of person that isn’t shaken by that much and I don’t take disappointment or even failure too much too heart until now…

The Pandemic has shaken everyone’s world and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been impacted on some level or another. When I was told that we were going to work from home I felt nervous since I am not the person that really enjoyed working from home that much, I enjoy the interaction and seeing my colleagues at work every day. Routine, that’s what I enjoy. The first week was interesting, trying to work from home, and with school’s closing also trying to educate a "spirited" 7 year old, as well as try to perform my role at work as best as I could. My partner was still working at his company so only a portion of our lives were really impacted for the moment.

The second week started with my partner being told he would be laid off at the end of the week. I knew this was a possibility and with me still working this at least was short term and we could have a better schedule for our young son for schooling. During this time we did get into more of a routine and by the next week, I can honestly say we did quite remarkable (if I do say so) getting the hang of our new normal. 

It was late that next weekend when I got a call from my father that he couldn’t breathe properly and I rushed over to see what was going on, we ended up calling an ambulance and soon found out he had a chest infection caused my pneumonia which would have to be treated in hospital quickly. He was admitted and a course of treatment was implemented. It was strange not being able to visit and only get updates over the phone, but all in all those first two days he was doing fine. On the third night the nurse called in the middle of the night informing me that he had fallen while in the hospital and broke two ribs and fractured his hip. This would require a few more weeks of therapy and observation to make sure he was fit to eventually leave the hospital. Two weeks went by with every day having updates from the hospital, when on Monday they told me he would be set to go home. 

Monday came and I had some work to get finished prior to picking up my father to take him home, I had a meeting booked with my VP to speak. I dialed into the zoom call where the 4.5 minute call was to tell me that #Benevity was appreciative of all the talent I helped bring into the organization but I would be terminated effective immediately for shortage of work. I was actually too shocked to speak or probably make any sense what so ever. I hung up and had to rush and get my father. I quickly told my partner that I was out of a job and between his looks of worry he understood I had to run to attend to my father.

The picking up of my father was pretty uneventful, he was happy to be going home and relieved this hospital stay was over. I got to his house and asked him to stay in the garage until I opened the doors for him. When I looked back I saw him lying on the garage floor with blood coming from his head. He was moaning with pain and knew he hurt something once again. After convincing him to let me call another ambulance I was able to get him back into the hospital. I can still remember his face after telling him he has to go back to the hospital, heartbroken and scared. 

The next few days were a blur, conversation with doctors, them giving me access to see him and then a few days later my father passing away. It all happened that quickly, not unlike a 4.5 minute phone call, not enough time to figure out what was going on but long enough to know my life will be changed forever. 

The hospital staff and everyone who helped me I want to thank, the nurses who spoke to me kindly and took care of my father with dignity and compassion. They were honest with me when needed to be and kind when my dad needed it. I will be forever grateful how they treated him. I have seen these professionals in action and do need to be recognized for the work that they do.

For me, I will still try and look at the positives in life, growing, learning, and love the work that I have done for so many years. I will still be as excited to place amazing talent, and to remember to take the time to cherish the people in my life because life, is way too short to take it for granted and like I have learned everything can change in a blink of an eye.