FUNEMPLOYED

How losing a job gave me back a life

- 

For years, I had a title that fit neatly under my email signature and gave strangers something to nod at approvingly. I was lifestyle editor of a national daily, which meant I was paid to have opinions on fashion collections, artisanal everything, and the sudden cultural relevance of matcha. It also meant I had a place to be every weekday morning for three decades - an identity tethered to a desk (even a virtual one, postpandemic) and an endless stream of deadlines.

Then suddenly, I was unemployed. The company where I spent my whole career folded up, according to the official line. I was set to retire at the end of next year, once I hit the prescribed years of service, so it wasn't as if I hadn't been bracing for this day. I just hadn't expected it to arrive ahead of schedule.