Baseline

Stating that my boss actually turned himself in is a bit generous. After ten months of promises that he was going to pay us back in one month, then two months, then....blah blah, our team discovered he had not just stolen from the small handful of us as we originally thought. He had stolen from everyone within the company who had ever contributed for over 18 months. For some reason this punch hit even harder as we all realized there was no way around it: the man we had worked so hard for all those years was nothing but an incompetent crook.

Now one would say this was obvious when the few of us discovered this transgression, but he repeatedly confirmed he was on it and taking care of it. When the breadth of the crime was exposed his story changed dramatically, "I had no idea this happened!", "I knew it happened in 2008, but not 2009" - you name it he said it. Slithering from one pile of nonsense to the next. As always his father in law (whom he hated more than anyone in the world) slapped down more cash to bail him out.

Now for a man of character, this might prove emasculating, demeaning, or even embarrassing. Not for him. When Daddy Morebucks infused his account once again with cash, he saw in the mirror a man who was the ultimate business man with cash in the bank and an expensive dinner in his future. Reincarnated once more.

Today I met with the Survivors (as we now call ourselves) and talked about how we were all doing. Some looking to change careers, one moving in with her boyfriend, one about to get married...it was all so...clean and real. A conversation free of outwardly wondering when the next screaming attack from our boss would be. One of genuine interest. Something so in-the-moment it almost felt like a new language I was learning. And I liked. it. But it will be a lot to learn. It's like coming up for air from a deep dive at the very last second where you think you're not going to make it and drown. We had survived. And we were all making up for lost time. Savoring each moment, one at a time. Rebuilding ourselves, brick by brick.