Moments That Mattered in 2013

[This is being done in response to Lori’s Prize Draw]

In a number of ways, 2013 was a funny old year. There were a couple of important moments – allbeit nothing life-altering – that had knock-on effects that’ll continue to reverberate into 2014 and beyond.

The important moment (for me) was back on 9th August, which was the day I was discharged from my bankruptcy that I’d declared a year previously. While the discharging of it wasn’t life-changing per se, the actual process of bankruptcy certainly was. There’s still another four-and-a-bit years of it sitting on my credit record, but compared to how life was heading pre-declaring, it’s a very different vista these days. Getting the full bankruptcy discharge was the first really significant milestone along that path back (I refuse to use that reality-TV-tastic “journey”, because my friends will punch me in the throat if I do) and had a feeling of “OK, I’ve done that, got through it, what’s next?” that I’d been missing for a long time.

The second moment (somewhat linked) was being made redundant from the job I’d had throughout the redundancy period (and a bit before) in mid-July. The timing was beautiful – the money I got as a redundancy payment came into my account on 11th August, just two days after the point where I’d have lost it.

I’d kept a permanent job throughout that period, as I wanted to have something stable while everything else was in flux. (To put it politely) It fulfilled those requirements just fine, but the redundancy announcement – regardless of how shabbily the entire process was handled – was a joy, a release of the shackles I’d been feeling.

With the two combined, it meant that once I’d been made redundant, I took a week off, which was much-needed. I took some time, but sent out some CVs at the same time, so I was ready for August.  I was going back to contracting (my preferred workstyle) and sent out a few CVs. I landed an interview for the Tuesday of the second week, which went well enough that they asked if I was free to stay after the interview, and work that afternoon. (I could, and did)

July and August 2013 reinforced in me the knowledge, the surety, that I could get through, that whatever life threw at me I’d come through it and be fine. I was unemployed for exactly six and a half days, and by the end of my first week at that first contract I was a discharged bankrupt.

It was weird how smoothly everything ran, and how it all clicked together to work to the best advantage. Sure, it was a bit of a stressful month from mid-July to mid-August, but it all worked out, and it left me in a far, far better place than I’d been.

Looking back, that’s the moment (well, month) that mattered the most in 2013…