the remedy

"There's no need to hurry when I'm making up my mind."

Phil sat on a bench near the walking trail. He had a view of small lake with little children gingerly throwing pieces of bread towards the ducks under their parents watchful eyes. He could saw joggers rushing by, couples strolling hand in hand, and friends talking. All those things made a picturesque view, but they were inconsequential to Phil. He wasn't really taking the beautiful scenery or the quiet moments. He was thinking. Thinking about the sudden turn his life had made and what his next move should be. He was alone, and angry, and frustrated. And although in the back of his mind he knew that people get laid off every day. Thousands every year. But he felt so wronged, so unjustly chosen to be a part of the unemployed. So he sat in that park, thinking of how to explain this to his wife. How to pay next month's mortgage. How to buy his son the bike he had promised him. Where to find a new job.

And that was the point that was nagging at him most. A new job. Despite the fear and anger, Phil couldn't help but feel the smallest tinge of hope. He had complained about his job for years. A dead-end job. An unchallenging job. An uninspiring job. And now there was this moment where he didn't have that job. He had no choice but to try to find something different, something better. So he sat on that bench. He sat there until all the children went home, the joggers retired, and the only light was from the moon. Then he too went home. He had spent hours on that bench, but with time came more clarity. He was going to find a new job, and he had a plan. This time he was going to get the career he had always wanted.