Why I’m Glad That I Got Fired in My 50s

I want to start by saying, “Happy Turkey Day!” 

Hope you have a fantastic day watching football, catching up with family, and napping in the Barcalounger after overdosing on turkey and all the fixings. 

No turkey for me in Prague today, and no sitting around the table offering up thoughts on what we’re all thankful for. Czechs wouldn’t understand the practice, nor would my Ukrainian wife. 

So, I will do that here instead. 

What I am thankful for… 

I am thankful for getting fired by a former employer in 2017.  

As painful, shocking, and fear-inducing as that moment was for a 51-year-old man, it was easily one of the best “tragedies” to befall me. 

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to believe in a simple god: The Universe itself. 

And I’ve come to believe wholeheartedly that the universe guides us to where we are supposed to be at various times in our life. That path, however, is not always A to B to C, and it’s not always lined with gumdrops and marshmallows. 

Sometimes—often times—it’s filled with heartache and pain. But those are necessary moments that force you to look around and see that another door has opened for you in a place you never thought to look. 

Since I was a teenager, at least, I’ve wanted to live overseas. I grew up traveling the world with a mom who worked for various airlines in the 1970s and ’80s, a time when airlines allowed employees of other airlines to fly for free. So, I saw a lot of the world very early in life, and grew up feeling more at home when I was abroad. 

I also spent my teenage years fascinated by the old Soviet Union because of a spy book I’d read. Even decided to take Russian in college because of that. And, probably weirdly, also thought it would be cool to be married to a Russian one day. 

You can probably see where this is going… 

If that previous boss had not fired me, I would not be living the life I’m living today: An expat life in the beautiful center of Europe, Prague, married to a woman who was born in the Soviet Union. 

I’m happier now than I have been in a very, very long time. 

And the thing is, when I look back over the last 20-plus years, I can see the path I had to take to get here. I can see the jobs I had to take. I can see the conversations I had that put in motion certain events that led me to a new career. I can see the friendships I made and I can see others changing their job that put me in position to lose mine.  

It all makes perfect sense.  

It wasn’t A to B to C…more like A to 11 to purple to beer coaster—and voila! You now live in Europe and you’re married to the girl of your dreams. 

So, yeah, that’s what I am thankful for today.  

I am thankful for being fired in 2017, because it set me on a path to my best life yet. It sucked in the moment—horribly. But that moment passed. I picked myself up, made a decision about my life, and it ultimately led me to this very moment, writing a dispatch to you, my reader, about what I am thankful for on my 56th Thanksgiving Day. 

And to that former boss, if you ever happen to read this: Yes, I was so livid with you early on. Bad form the way that went down. But I forgave you long ago, because your actions led me to the life I really wanted.  

And for that, I am thankful for you too.