Change, David Bowie and 'What's Next?' After Your Job Unexpectedly Ends
How to make the right choice in facing life's inevitable twists and turns
If you’re like me, the end of 2023 saw some time spent reflecting on the past as well as looking ahead as we moved into the new year (how is it already mid-January?). For me, entering 2024 hit differently which has prompted me to think a lot about change and how the past 12 months has seen a lot of it. The topic seems to be a good place to start for this first SubStack page entry (Welcome! Hit the subscribe button below please!).
I began searching online for famous quotes about change and found some gems from the likes of Aldous Huxley, Stephen Hawking, Oprah Winfrey and more. Then, I fell down a rabbit hole of famous songs dealing with the topic. At the top of the list was David Bowie singing about “ch-ch-ch-changes” in his 1972 song “Changes.” (If you, like me, also thought of Aretha Franklin, well, she actually sings ‘chain-chain-chain…chain of fools’ in her classic song of the same name. Oops.) Reading the lyrics instead of just hearing Bowie’s iconic song struck me considering where I find myself in January 2024. I’m living in Bangkok, Thailand (more on that coming soon) and embarking at the start of a new chapter. Hence, the lyrics “Strange fascination, fascinating me” resonated big time.
For all the changes that have led me to where I am today, one big change came at the end of 2023 - my job was abruptly eliminated and I started the new year unemployed.
Now, in regards to change, there’s the kind you usher into your life with purpose, aware of the pros and cons but know you’re somewhat steering the ship. Alter your diet to lose weight. Take a different way home to avoid that headache intersection. Don’t answer work email after hours.
Unfortunately, there’s also the change you don’t see coming. The death of a loved one. A car accident. Your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor suddenly just disappearing from supermarket shelves. And, of course, the sudden loss of employment.
The phone call informing me of my job’s suddenly short future happened just days after the recent Thanksgiving holiday. It was a short call basically informing me my job as West Coast Bureau Chief at TV Guide Magazine (a job I’d held since August, 2016) was being eliminated effective the end of 2023. Wait, what?
Now, it’s roughly six weeks later and I’ve been trying to make some sense of where I’m at today. I write this with a cup of coffee and my open laptop at a quiet cafe in the Lad Prao neighborhood of Bangkok, Thailand where I’ve been living with my husband, Boyd, since late June, 2023. He’s a Bangkok native who has spent the last three decades or so living in the United States. Over the years, we’ve visited this wonderful country and fantasized about retiring here someday. Besides his own familiarity with the country, his family still resides here and, a huge incentive, the U.S. dollar goes very far.
It was the COVID pandemic that altered our retirement thoughts to something more current. In other words, why wait for retirement to shake up our lives and embark on new adventures? Of course there were a lot of plans to be made but on the other hand everything that needed to be done seemed doable. Also, once we truly opened ourselves up to the idea of relocating, pieces began to fall into place. Don’t ya love it when that happens?
For example, the can’t-pass-up job offer in Bangkok that came Boyd’s way. His cousin just happened to have an empty condo we could move into immediately and stay until we found our own place. And remote work was very acceptable for my job at TV Guide magazine. At the time the move was happening last year, writers and actors were on strike so there was little reason for me to have to be in LA. Overall, the pros greatly outweighed the cons. Red flags? None. So we packed our bags.
Six months into our move, me losing my job was not in our plans. To answer the most asked question I’ve gotten via text, email and social media, I didn’t see it coming.
I knew there would inevitably be an adjustment of some kind to my title and salary given where I was now living. I’d even talked about it with my direct report about how we could still make the job work down the line since the majority of my work had evolved into more writing and interviews, which could be done from anywhere. However, I was told the decision was a business one, not reflective of my actual work, which, come on, never really softens the blow.
Post-gut punch I went through the usual emotions like worrying about how much money is (or isn’t) in the bank, angry anyone would end someone’s employment and livelihood during the holidays and the insecurity of not knowing where that next job would come from.
Once the dust had settled and I filed my last assignments, I thought about choices and made the choice not to freak out (not yet anyway). I then began thinking about other instances in my life where I faced unexpected change and how I got through those times. There were plenty but - surprise! - I survived every one of them (to quote Follies, “I’m still here”). For me, uncertainty was the hardest thing to feel okay about and I’m embracing that instead of letting it keep me up at night. I know I am extremely fortunate to have Boyd and a myriad of friends I was able to talk with, get encouragement and support from and in the end know that I wasn’t alone.
Then came that inevitable question - what’s next?
The truth of the matter is even six weeks later, I don’t entirely know and that’s okay. In fact, I find myself more excited than anything else. I’m not ready to retire and after working hard over the last 15 years as a television journalist, I have plenty of things I’d like to do. Maybe one of them is my what’s next?
There’s the novel I was writing back when I still lived in my hometown of South Bend, Indiana. I moved to LA in 1995 and segued into writing TV (I still get an occasional residual check from my time as a staff writer on the original Beverly Hills 90210) and then covering television as a journalist. But when I was packing to move to Thailand, I found those 100 or so novel pages I’d written and I’ll be dusting them off.
I’ve written several original television pilots (as well as many spec scripts of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X Files and The West Wing) that I’m really proud of - the most recent one being a hospital murder mystery. Think Grey’s Anatomy with a serial killer dropped in the middle of it. Whether I write episode two (since I know who the killer is and how 8-10 episodes would play out) or adapt the pilot script into a novel has crossed my mind more than once.
Memoirs of a TV Journalist? Don’t tempt me!
I started in this TV journalism part of my career as a freelancer and already have a few things lined up for the future. In other words, there’s no R.I.P. for my byline anytime soon.
I have choices (thankfully!) and I’m going to explore each and every one of them. Starting to write for SubStack is just one of them (thanks to my good friend Frank Spotnitz for suggesting it). This page will be eclectic in that some posts will focus on where I’m emotionally at, others where I’m physically at (yes, travel writing and vlogging about the picturesque Thailand is part of my plan). I’ll continue sharing thoughts on TV, film and theater as well as conversations with actors, writers, producers, directors and more. To start, expect a post every Wednesday (free to start though paid subscriptions are an option right off the bat) but don’t be surprised if more show up.
I’ve spent my career asking people questions but I don’t mind answering them either so feel free to leave a comment or email me and I’ll do my best to answer. Here’s one question for you: how you have you bounced back after a job ended? Let me know in the comments.
And back to those quotes that started this whole inaugural post, the one that really connected with comes from poet Mary Oliver who wrote in her 1990 poem “The Summer Day”:
Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Let’s find out, shall we?
Next Wednesday, I’ll be back with how I came to be a fan of a scripted drama series about Jesus Christ (The Chosen) and religion’s relationship with TV.
Go Brother! Excited to see what’s next for you!
Love! Can’t wait to see how this next chapter unfolds for you. 💚